Councilors served in a judicial capacity for non-criminal disputes in a special setting called a White Judgment Seat. The Councilors and Patriels of various families on a given Ascendancy planet worked together to improve the standard of living and prestige of that planet. Councilors could request some of the patrol boats managed by their family's Patriel for the same planet, to use for specific purposes.
Informally, Councilors and higher ranking Chiss family officials were often referred to as Aristocra, suggesting that that title indicated a minimum rank in common usage.
Xodlak'uvi'vil was a Councilor of the Xodlak family in the Redhill province of the Chiss Ascendancy planet of Celwis. Councilor Lakuviv's ambitions, manipulated by Haplif of the Agbui, nearly led to a civil war in the Chiss Ascendancy. Lakuviv staged a coup against Patriel Xodlak'oo'nifis and impersonated Lakooni to declare a family emergency, which he used to try to seize the Agbui mining world.