What Is a Solicitor and What Do They Do

A solicitor is a type of lawyer who specializes in providing legal advice and representation in England and Wales. They are also known as attorneys or lawyers.

Solicitors work on a wide range of cases, including property law, family law, and employment law. They can also provide advice on wills, probate, and trusts.

Solicitors are trained to provide expert advice and guidance to their clients, helping them navigate complex legal issues. They are also skilled negotiators and can represent their clients in court if necessary.

A solicitor's role is to protect their client's rights and interests, often working closely with barristers to achieve the best possible outcome.

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As a solicitor, your day-to-day tasks can vary widely depending on your area of specialisation.

You may attend meetings with clients to discuss their cases, and also spend time researching cases to gather information.

Compiling information and looking over the legal attributes of a case are also crucial tasks that you may perform.

Negotiation is a key part of a solicitor's role, where you negotiate on behalf of clients to reach settlements or agreements in legal disputes or transactions.

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As a solicitor, you'll encounter two main types of cases: contentious and non-contentious.

Contentious cases involve disputes between two or more parties, which often end up going to court.

These cases can be related to criminal, family, or employment matters.

Litigation is a key skill required to handle contentious cases, requiring special training.

Non-contentious work, on the other hand, involves a client's personal or business matters.

This can include cases such as company mergers or creating wills.

Solicitors need to be trained in both types of cases to provide comprehensive services to their clients.

Understanding the difference between contentious and non-contentious cases is crucial for a solicitor's role and responsibilities.

As a solicitor, drafting legal documents is a crucial part of the job. You'll be responsible for creating contracts, wills, tenancy leases, and agreements.

Drafting legal documents requires attention to detail and a thorough understanding of the law. Your tasks may involve reviewing legal attributes of a case to ensure accuracy.

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You'll need to compile information and research cases to support your document drafts. This involves looking over the legal attributes of a case and gathering relevant data.

Solicitors use this information to draft legal documents that are clear, concise, and compliant with the law. Your documents will be reviewed and edited to ensure they meet the necessary standards.

As a solicitor, negotiation is a crucial part of the job. They negotiate on behalf of clients to reach settlements or agreements in legal disputes or transactions. This involves finding common ground between parties and crafting a solution that meets everyone's needs.

Effective negotiation requires strong communication skills, active listening, and a deep understanding of the law. Solicitors must be able to analyze complex information, identify key issues, and present their case in a clear and persuasive manner.

An in-house solicitor is a solicitor that is employed by a non-legal organisation, for example, a commercial company with a legal department.

In-house solicitors work closely with the company's management to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. They provide legal advice and guidance to the organisation's employees and stakeholders.

Their role is often more focused on providing practical legal advice, rather than taking on high-stakes court cases. This can involve reviewing contracts, drafting policies, and advising on employment law.

In-house solicitors can specialise in areas such as corporate law, intellectual property law, or employment law, depending on the company's needs.

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To become a solicitor, you'll need to complete a law degree, which typically takes three years to finish.

Solicitors must also complete a period of vocational training, known as a Legal Practice Course (LPC), which provides practical training in areas like contract law and property law.

A solicitor's career typically starts as a trainee solicitor, where they work under the supervision of a qualified solicitor to gain hands-on experience.

In the UK, solicitors must also complete a period of pupillage, which is a two-year training contract that provides further practical experience.

Solicitors can specialize in various areas of law, such as family law, employment law, or commercial law.

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In England and Wales, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the regulator of the profession.

The SRA is responsible for ensuring the professional conduct of all solicitors, which is crucial for maintaining public trust in the profession.

To practice as a solicitor, you need to be admitted to the roll, which is a register that lists all solicitors entitled to practice in England and Wales.

The SRA website is a great resource for learning more about the process of getting admitted to the roll and becoming a qualified solicitor.

In the United Kingdom, the term lawyer is not widely used, and the term solicitor is well known to describe a legal advisor.

In Australia, the terms lawyer and solicitor are often used interchangeably, but there is a key difference from a legal perspective.

In Queensland, for instance, people in Brisbane are more likely to call their legal advisor a lawyer, whereas in rural areas, they're more likely to use the term solicitor.

To become a solicitor in Australia, you need to complete your law degree, legal practice training, and then apply for admission to practice to the Supreme Court of Queensland, and eventually register for a principal practising certificate to practice law unsupervised.

A solicitor works with clients, interviewing and advising them on a course of legal action. This involves advocacy, drafting, research, and case analysis.

Solicitors have rights of audience in court, but to obtain rights in higher courts, an additional qualification is needed.

A barrister specifically represents, advocates, and defends clients in courts.

In the United Kingdom, the term lawyer is not widely used, and the term solicitor is well known and used to describe a legal advisor that provides general legal advice and services to clients.

The distinction between lawyer and solicitor is mainly geographical, with different countries using different terms to refer to legal advisors.

In the United States, the term lawyer or attorney is used to describe legal advisors, and rarely do you come across the term Solicitor.

Lawyers in the US are also referred to as Attorneys-at-Law, and they must undertake a 'Bar Exam' to be able to practice law.

In the UK, there is a distinction between a Barrister and a Solicitor, but in the US, all lawyers are referred to as lawyers or Attorneys-at-Law.

In Australia, the terms Lawyer and Solicitor are often used interchangeably by most people.

The terms Lawyer and Solicitor tend to be used differently in different States, with a preference for one term or another in different areas.

In Brisbane, people are more likely to call their legal advisor a Lawyer, whereas in more rural, remote areas and the Sunshine Coast, people are more likely to use the term Solicitor.

From a legal perspective, there is a key difference between a person being 'Admitted' to practice law and those who are both 'Admitted' and 'Certified' to practice law.

Only an Admitted and Certified person can legally give legal advice and provide legal services to others as a qualified and licensed legal advisor.

If you are Admitted only, then you can still call yourself a Lawyer, or Australian Lawyer, but you cannot give legal advice or practice law.

To check who is a qualified lawyer, you can search the Queensland Law Society directory, which is the regulatory body in Queensland that regulates the certification of lawyers in Queensland.

Each State and Territory has its own regulatory body, and each has mutual recognition of each other, so becoming registered with one State allows you to practice Nationally.