The legal profession in the UK is what is commonly known as a split profession. What we mean is that there are two types of legal professionals that clients can consult — a barrister or a solicitor. What are the differences?
A solicitor is essentially a legal counselor who dispenses advice on common legal issues. There are currently over 60,000 licensed solicitors in the UK and they work closely with clients. Of course, most cases are fairly pedestrian. For instance, solicitors are responsible for drafting letters and researching minor cases.
While most solicitors have a specialty, such as family or commercial law, it is certainly not required. A solicitor is rarely expected to appear in court, unless it is a relatively minor civil issue. They are customarily employed by law practice firms like solicitors in Staffordshire.
The other type of lawyer in the UK is a barrister. If we could make a simple analogy, barristers are the doctors of the legal profession in the UK, while solicitors are the nurses. After all, solicitors work much more closely with clients and they are often expected to handled the smaller, less interesting cases.
What does a barrister do? Barristers are trial lawyers. They spend most of their time either in court or researching the law. As you might expect, there are far fewer barristers in the UK than there are solicitors. The position not only requires additional schooling, but also a noticeable talent for public speaking and presentation.
Unlike solicitors, barristers do not work for a firm. Instead, they are self-employed, but they must remit a portion of their pay for the use of chambers or offices that are provided by the court.