How to decide whether to become a solicitor or barrister?

How to decide whether to become a solicitor or barrister?

For an aspiring barrister, mini-pupillages would be ideal, and for budding solicitors, any experience in a firm or a vacation scheme would be the most valuable. It is undoubtedly the best way to get to understand whether you could see yourself working as either a solicitor or barrister.

Can a member of the public instruct a barrister?

For reasonably straight forward cases, a member of the public can instruct a barrister, if they go through the Public Access Scheme. Public access is available in all types of work that barristers can do, except for work funded out of legal aid. It is also unlikely to be appropriate in cases involving children.

Do you have to be independent to be a solicitor?

Solicitors do a lot of work with the help of fellow solicitors and paralegals; this also means that solicitors do not have to be as independent as a barrister may need to. Inevitably, it is important to research both options to aid you in reaching a decision.

Do you have to be self employed to be a barrister?

Barristers, however, are not always self-employed. Some barristers are employed ‘in-house’ at law firms and large commercial organisations (such as the Government Legal Service ), which takes away the uncertainty associated with being self-employed and brings with it regular income and benefits.

What’s the difference between a barrister and a solicitor?

Difference Between Solicitor and Barrister: The 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. There are, however, exceptions to this rule in both cases. From an advocacy perspective, for example,…

For reasonably straight forward cases, a member of the public can instruct a barrister, if they go through the Public Access Scheme. Public access is available in all types of work that barristers can do, except for work funded out of legal aid. It is also unlikely to be appropriate in cases involving children.

Barristers, however, are not always self-employed. Some barristers are employed ‘in-house’ at law firms and large commercial organisations (such as the Government Legal Service ), which takes away the uncertainty associated with being self-employed and brings with it regular income and benefits.

What do you need to know about a solicitor?

What is a Solicitor? A solicitor is a qualified legal practitioner who is responsible for preparing legal documentation in the run up to and during a court case. A solicitor provides specialist legal advice on contentious and non-contentious work to their clients on a variety of areas of law.