Received at first in the ranks of the Philosophes, he soon went over to their opponents, possibly more from contempt than from conviction, the immediate occasion for his change being a quarrel with Jean le Rond d'Alembert in 1762.

Thenceforth he violently attacked whatever was considered modern and enlightened, and while he delighted society with his numerous sensational pamphlets, he aroused the fear and hatred of his opponents by his stinging wit.

But in spite of his brilliant ability and the claim by some that he had only lost two cases, the bitter attacks which he directed against his fellow advocates, especially against Gerbier (1725-1788), caused his dismissal (on dubious charges) from the bar in 1775.

Linguet, however, continued his freelance career, now attacking and now supporting the government, in the Annales politiques, civiles et litteraires, published from 1777 to 1792, first at London, then at Brussels and finally at Paris.

In 1786 he was permitted by Vergennes to return to France as an Austrian counselor of state, and to sue the duc d'Aiguillon (1720–88), the former minister of Louis XV, for fees due him for legal services rendered some fifteen years earlier.

Linguet received the support of Marie Antoinette; his fame at the time surpassed that of his rival Pierre Beaumarchais, and almost excelled that of Voltaire.

[2] During the early years of the French Revolution he issued several pamphlets against Mirabeau, who returned his ill-will with interest, calling him 'the ignorant and bombastic M. Linguet, advocate of Neros, sultans and viziers'.

He retired to Marnes-la-Coquette near Ville d'Avray to escape the Reign of Terror, but was sought out and summarily condemned to death for supposedly having glorified the monarchs of Britain and Austria.