Council Definition: A formal group of experts brought together on a regular basis to debate matters within that sphere of expertise, often with advisory powers to government. Related Terms: Administrative Tribunal A formal group of experts brought together on a regular basis to debate matters within that sphere of expertise, and with advisory powers to government. For example, Canada has a Standards Council of Canada which debates and proposes standards policies and is able to make recomendations to the Government of Canada. It can be contrasted with a commission which, although also a body of experts, is typically given regulatory powers in addition to a role as advisor to the government. Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!