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A solicitor’s job is to provide clients with skilled legal advice and
representation, including pleading in court. Many problems are dealt with
exclusively by a solicitor. For instance, the solicitor deals with petty
crimes and some matrimonial matters in Magistrates’ Courts, the lowest
courts. Family law and child care law are important nowadays, and
solicitors often represent clients in court in divorce cases. In a civil action
he can speak in the County Court, when the case is one of divorce or
recovering some debts.
A solicitor also deals with matters outside Court. He does the legal
work involved in buying a house, for instance. He writes legal letters for
the client and carries on legal arguments outside court. He makes wills and
administers the estates of people, who have died. A solicitor often advises
businesses on such matters as employment law, contracts and company
formations.
Most solicitors work in private practice, which is a business
partnership of solicitors who offer services to clients. You will find a
solicitor’s firm in nearly every town in England and Wales. Many
solicitors and firms specialize in areas of law in which they are expert, and
specialisms can include corporate and commercial law, insurance, the
registration of patents and copyrights, shipping, banking, entertainment
and media law and many others.
Not all solicitors work in private practice. It is possible for solicitors
to work as in-house legal advisers to a commercial or industrial
organization, to a government department or a local authority. There is a
trend to allow multinational partnerships in England and Wales between
solicitors and foreign lawyers.
Because the law is complex, the training of solicitors takes a long
time and can be difficult. To qualify as a solicitor, a young man or woman
joins a solicitor as a “clerk” and works for him whilst studying part time
for the “Law Society”.
The Law Society makes the rules for the legal education and
training required. The trainee must receive a thorough and broad
education. Solicitors with good communication skills-written, verbal or
inter-personal are in demand. A high standard of literacy is required.
When you have passed all the necessary exams, you can “practice”, which
means you can start business on your own.
Barristers are different from solicitors. Barristers are experts in the
interpretation of the Law. Barristers are legal consultants offering
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