A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

s commonly use briefcases to carry briefs

Brief (law)

A brief is a written legal document used in various legal adversarial systems that is presented to a court arguing why the party to the case should prevail....

 to present to a court, hence the name. Businesspeople and other professionals also use briefcases to carry important papers and, today, laptop computers.

Briefcases are descendants of the limp satchel

Satchel (bag)

A satchel is a bag, often with a strap. The strap is often worn so that it diagonally crosses the body, with the bag hanging on the opposite hip, rather than hanging directly down from the shoulder. They are tradionally used for carrying books....

 used in the fourteenth century for carrying money and valuables. It was called a "budget", derived from the Latin word "bulga" or Irish word "bolg", both meaning leather bag, and also the source of the financial term "budget

Budget

A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...

".

Godillot of Paris was the first to use a hinged iron frame on a carpet bag

Carpet bag

A carpet bag is a traveling bag made of carpet, commonly from an oriental rug, ranging in size from a small purse to a large duffel bag.Such bags were popular in the United States and Europe during the 19th century...

, in 1826. There then followed the Gladstone bag and the Rosebery, an oval-top bag. Eventually these became the modern metal-framed briefcase. The first of what is known as the modern rectangular briefcase is said to have been invented by Jeremy Stenning in the late 1850s.

Types

• A portfolio is a handleless case for carrying in the hand or under the arm.
• A folio case is a portfolio with a retractable handle.
• An attaché case is a box-style case made of leather (occasionally aluminium), scrunched over a hinged frame that opens into two compartments. It was traditionally carried by an attaché
  Attaché
  Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
  
  , a diplomatic officer attached to an embassy or consulate officially assigned to serve in a particular capacity (e.g., cultural attaché
  Cultural attaché
  A cultural attaché is a diplomat with special responsibility for promoting the culture of his or her homeland. The position has been used as an official cover for intelligence agents. Historically, the post has often been filled by writers and artists, giving them a steady income, allowing them to...
  
  ; military attaché
  Military attaché
  A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
  
  ).