Why barrister not solicitor

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Difference Between Solicitor and Barrister Find out the main differences between solicitors and barristers in terms of what they do, what they earn and how they work.

Law Careers Conference. Barrister V Solicitor: Key Facts Find out the main differences between the professions Which profession offers a higher salary? Jump to Section Icon. What Is a Barrister? Sign up for our free flagship Aspire conference to find the answers you need Book Now. What Is a Solicitor? The Difference Between Solicitor and Barrister Work Put very simply, barristers tend to practise as advocates representing clients in court, whereas solicitors tend to perform the majority of their legal work in a law firm or office setting.

The Difference Between Solicitor and Barrister Training Following completion of a qualifying law degree, or a non-law degree and a law conversion course, such as the GDL, you need to make the decision as to whether you wish to practice as a solicitor or barrister because this is where the road splits: Solicitor Training As it stands, to become a solicitor, you must complete a vocational year course called the Legal Practice Course LPC after your LLB or GDL, followed by a two-year training contract.

Barrister Training To qualify as a barrister, on the other hand, you need to complete the vocational component of bar training after your LLB or law conversion course. Prefer a more visual guide to solicitor and barrister qualification? Check out our infographic! See the Infographic. Workwear Differences Traditionally, a barrister in court was expected to wear traditional court attire in the form of a long black robe and wig. Work Experience Opportunities If you are thinking about pursuing a career as a barrister, the work experience you should consider undertaking is different compared with the work experience you would consider if you were thinking about pursuing a career as a solicitor.

Becoming a Lawyer. TLP Aspire Find out what a legal career entails and your options at our flagship event. Difference Between Solicitor and Barrister If you are unsure of the difference between a barrister and solicitor, or the qualifications and training processes for either career, read this page. Would I Make a Good Lawyer? Quiz How would you fare as a lawyer? Find out if this is the career for you by taking our quiz!

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You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Functional functional. Performance performance. Analytics analytics. Advertisement advertisement. Others others. Necessary necessary. And although the work done at the Bar has widened, it is still largely court- and tribunal-based, so barristers tend to split their time between work in chambers and at court.

To help you decide which profession is for you, Sue Clarke, head of postgraduate careers at Nottingham Law School, advises evaluating your skills. A student must have the ability to assimilate large amounts of paper at short notice and be confident on their feet at venues all over the country. It depends on the specialism, but it isn't unusual for a barrister to be in court until 4pm, go back to the chambers to pick up their brief for the next day, work on it that evening and then be on the road very early the next morning to a court many miles away.

Being a solicitor, on the other hand, requires the ability to multi-task and you'll need to excel in project work. Clarke adds that a barrister's work mainly comes in by reputation, so it may be several years before you earn a good standard of living, whereas a solicitor can enjoy the benefit of a steady income much earlier on.

It was predominantly this that made Amy Richardson become an employment law solicitor at Adams and Remers Solicitors in Lewes. To top it all, you might earn little during the first few years as you build up your reputation as a barrister. Linda Lee, vice-president of the Law Society, suggests doing a wide range of work experience to assist your decision. So take up opportunities in a wide range of environments as soon as you can.

And widen your scope within both career options too — so with solicitors, don't just think about private practice but local authorities and other places too. Having failed to do this, Joseph Dollin only discovered after doing the BVC that he preferred the life of a solicitor. Having initially been attracted to the drama and excitement of life at the Bar by the likes of television's Kavanagh QC, he completed various mini-pupillages and did the BVC.

It was only when he moved to London and applied for a job as a legal secretary in Ambrose Appelbe, a small solicitors' firm, to keep himself afloat that he discovered he loved it. Others, including Giles Crown, head of the media, brands and technology team at law firm Lewis Silkin LLP, prove that — while often frustrating to have to retrain — it's never impossible to switch. I also felt my client management skills were not being fully utilised at the Bar. Meanwhile, Samantha Hillas left her solicitor's job to become a family law barrister at Atlantic Chambers, Liverpool.

How and when you ultimately make your decision, don't be fooled by prevalent myths, cautions Paul Ridehalgh at Marsden Rawsthorn. But it's a misconception that solicitors cannot provide the same or a better quality of work.

Kate Novakovic, a solicitor at the Sheffield-based law firm Ashton Morton Slack, adds: "Another myth is that to be a barrister you must have been educated at private school and Oxbridge. This is not true. Law seemed like something I could really get my teeth into and so I decided to do a law degree at Durham University. I work at Burges Salmon, a nationally ranked firm of solicitors based in Bristol. I did my first work experience placement here and valued the relationship that lawyers have with their clients.

The nature of being a solicitor, as opposed to a barrister, is that you see the project from start to completion and it is very gratifying to solve problems and achieve a positive result.

In case it matters to you, barristers wear a wig and gown in court while solicitors do not. Since they also possess specialist knowledge of the law, they are often asked to provide legal advice. Barristers are typically provided with details of a new case by a solicitor who already represents the client, at which point they review the evidence and prepare for their presentation in court. Although most barristers work independently in Chambers occupied by rival barristers to save administrative expenses , they may also be employed as in-house advisers by corporations, banks, government agencies and solicitors firms.

A solicitor is the type of lawyer almost all clients see first when a case arises. Unlike barristers, solicitors frequently take on non-contentious cases, although most solicitors involve themselves with litigation most of the time. Solicitors advise clients privately, draft legal documents including but not limited to court pleadings and negotiate with opposing parties, among other activities.

Solicitors can become involved with a wider variety of cases than barristers can, including commercial contract drafting, estate planning and real property transactions, among other practice areas. Solicitors can also work for a wider range of organisations that barristers can, including both commercial and non-commercial firms, government bureaus, private companies, banks and corporations.

Solicitors also sometimes appear in court, typically at lower levels.