>>It would be like if Americans said "he got handballed from IBM" (meaning fired)!
In Oz 'handballed' is usually used in a work-related setting when someone or (more likely) something is transferred to another department/person. Such as 'the report was a real bugger so I handballed it to that drongo JPM'. And the US term Attorney applies here equally to solicitors and barristers. The main difference (apart from $300 an hour and up) is that barristers specialise in appearing in court (civil, criminal and administrative) while solicitors are more general purpose legal professionals. Solicitors can (and often do) appear in court also, although they also do the grunt work of writing up wills and contracts, sending threatening letters, filing papers etc. The term 'Queen's Counsel' (or QC) refers to barristers who are approved to work for the government, although in practice they get ridiculous amounts for doing private work. Unfortunately from my experience you need a QC just to be sure your counsel has basic competencies in legal matters (even then it is never a sure thing). New Books at Discount Prices --- Send the right message --- + Today freemail + Get your free, private email address at http://www.today.com.au --- You are currently subscribed to e-gold-list as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Did you know that e-metal is a wonderful holiday gift? Avoid the hassle this year!