Audio pronunciation for "general counsel"   general counsel: the chief lawyer of a legal department of a company, government authority or other organization. An in-house counsel. “The General Counsel represents the Commission in litigation in federal courts, recommends decisions in adjudicatory matters before the Commission, and performs a variety of legal functions regarding internal and other administrative matters.” Related words and concepts: in-house counsel: lawyer working at a company; corporate counsel. The top in-house counsel may be refrred to as the general counsel. defense counsel: (UK spelling: defence): lawyer representing a defendant in criminal or civil actions. opposing counsel: lawyers representing the other side (the opponents) in a dispute. Having trouble hearing a pronunciation? * Click here to listen with your default audio player.