The solicitor’s path is among the most well-known routes to the legal field However, which exactly are solicitors? And what exactly is the job of a solicitor? This guide will help you understand what a solicitor does.
Solicitor Definition and Definition
In the UK an attorney is one who is an official of the profession known as law. They are who is qualified to deal with legal issues like conveyancing, drafting wills, and so on. A solicitor may provide advice to clients, as well as represent them in the lower court and appoint lawyers to advocate for clients before UK higher courts.
A solicitor’s job is to listen to the instructions of clients, which may be groups, individuals as well as private and public sector entities and provide advice on the best actions to consider from a legal perspective.
If there is an issue that requires the Court or tribunal the solicitor may instruct an attorney to represent on behalf of the client. The responsibility of a solicitor is to draft the barrister’s case. An advocate solicitor, with Rights of Audience, can represent clients in the United Kingdom’s highest Courts the same way barristers can.
Solicitors are very close with their clients and are usually the first source of contact for clients who require legal guidance. The work of a solicitor could be divided into contentious legal work, for instance a contentious probate solicitor will look into probate cases involving contentious probate in which the intentions of a deceased person are questioned – in addition to non-contentious law work.
Legal work involving contentious issues involves resolving disagreements between different parties and typically involves Tribunal or court appearances.
Legal work that is not contentious concentrates upon the lawful aspects of commercial or personal issue, such as, for example, negotiating corporate mergers or the drafting of an estate plan.
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Day-to-Day Solicitor Roles
In a typical day the role of a solicitor can be varied, with various tasks, including:
Consulting, interviewing and meeting with clients
Negotiating and drafting contract and legal documentation
Expert legal and commercial guidance on various areas of law.
Understanding and researching complex aspects of law
Preparing and instructing cases for barristers
What are the practice areas that solicitors Do They Work In?
There are numerous types of solicitors who work in 24 different areas of practice in law. The type of work solicitors do is based on the law area that they practice in. For instance the work of a family law solicitor is likely to be different from the work performed by an environmental solicitor.
If you’re looking to become solicitor, you’ll be required to give some seriously to the field of law you would like to pursue as it will decide the type of work you’ll be performing.
Where do solicitors work?
Solicitors are either employed by an attorney’s firm or work in-house for an public or private sector company.
Law firm
The majority of solicitors begin their career with a legal firm that offers an array of on the job training, as well as pursuing certifications. A majority of solicitors be able to specialize in a particular area of law, or work in multiple fields of law.
In-house
In-house solicitors are part of an organization’s legal department. For instance the BBC as well as a number of government departments, and a number of charity organisations have their own legal department. In-house solicitors begin their careers at the law firm before changing to a role in the legal department within an organization.
Solicitor Working Hours
Most solicitors operate under normal 9-5 work hours. But, lawyers often spend long hours, unable to socialize, and completing documents to be well-prepared, handle their workloads, and meet deadlines.
In some instances – particularly those working for multinational corporations or clients from overseas – they have to work across time zones. Working on weekends and evenings is not unusual.
The hours of work of solicitors must be flexible in order to meet demands of clients, therefore the time a solicitor has to work are not always predictable. The hours that a solicitor works will vary based on the company or organization they work for. Some have more regular hours, while others are less.
What’s the Difference Between A Solicitor and a Lawyer?
The sole distinction between a solicitor and lawyer is the location from which the words come from. “Solicitor” is more of an British word, whereas “lawyer” tends to be an American word.
In the UK”lawyer” in the UK is not used to define any specific job in the legal system, but rather, it’s an broad word to cover any person who is an attorney. In reality, the word “lawyer” has no specific definition within UK law, as per the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) the governing body for solicitors.
How many solicitors are there in The UK?
The profession of solicitor is a thriving one across the UK. Based on the SRA at the time of writing, in May 2022, there were 156,055 solicitors who are currently practicing and there are 215,567 solicitors in the rolls throughout England as well as Wales.
Which industry body are solicitors Are regulated by?
Solicitors are monitored through The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The SRA also regulates lawyers and other professionals who are not legal in law firms. It also regulates non-legal professionals within law firms. SRA has a particular code of conduct which solicitors must follow so that they can best serve the interests of their clients as well as the general public.
Legal firms or solicitors that are found to be in breach that SRA’s codes conduct may be liable for disciplinary actions. The SRA website contains more information.