Anglo-French 'atourné,' past participle of 'atourner' (to appoint, to turn toward) — one who has been directed to act in another's place.
A person appointed to act for another in legal matters; in the United States, a lawyer; more broadly, any person legally appointed to act as the agent or representative of another.
From Anglo-French atourné, past participle of atourner (to appoint, to direct, to turn toward, to assign to a task), composed of a- (to, toward) and tourner (to turn), from Latin tornāre (to fashion on a lathe, to turn in a circle), from Greek tórnos (a lathe, a turning instrument, a compass for drawing circles), from PIE *ter- (to rub, to turn, to bore through by rotation). The full chain: PIE *ter- → Greek tórnos → Latin tornāre → Old French tourner → Anglo-French atourner → atourné (one turned toward a task) → attorney. An attorney is literally someone who has been turned toward a task
The word 'attorney' shares its root with 'tournament' and 'detour.' A tournament was originally a military exercise involving turning and wheeling on horseback; a detour is a turning away from the main route. An attorney is someone who has been 'turned toward' a task on someone else's behalf — all