Atty. is a written short form of attorney, mainly in American English. An attorney is a lawyer — the person who acts for you in legal matters. You will see Atty. before a name on letters, court papers, and business cards: Atty. Chen. People do not say atty out loud; they say attorney or lawyer. Though actually, in the US, attorney also appears in titles like District Attorney, which is a prosecutor, not a family’s hired lawyer. The abbreviation still just points back to attorney. In British English, solicitor and barrister are the everyday words, and this short form is rare.