The state or condition of being without a brief; the state of having no legal cases to defend.
From briefless (brief + -less) + -ness (noun suffix creating abstract nouns). This compounds the legal meaning into an abstract condition.
This word perfectly captures the existential dread of Victorian barristers waiting in courtroom corridors for clients—an entire emotional state packed into one technical term.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.