legal scholar; jurist
Refers to an academic expert in law, not a practicing lawyer. In English, 'lawyer' is a common but imprecise gloss; the core meaning is a scholar of jurisprudence.
He is a prominent legal scholar and a constitutional law expert.
The opinions of legal scholars are sometimes referenced in court cases.
弁護士 is a practicing lawyer/attorney who represents clients, while 法律学者 is an academic legal scholar.
法学者 is a broader term for legal scholar; 法律学者 specifically emphasizes the study of statutes and positive law.
Compound of 法律 (law) + 学者 (scholar).