Solicitor jobs

The legal interests of their clients are protected and defended by solicitors, who also provide advise. Learn more about the job that attorneys undertake, the skills required, and the process for qualifying to become a solicitor.

The practice of law as a profession may be both financially satisfying and mentally taxing.

Because there are a great many distinct subfields of law in which one might specialize, the job itself can be rather diverse.

There is a distinction between a barrister and a solicitor. A consultation with a solicitor is the first step recommended for anybody seeking legal guidance. If the client requires more specialized assistance, the solicitor may decide to employ a barrister on their behalf.

Barristers are more likely to engage in advocacy work, which involves representing clients in higher courts, while solicitors are more likely to provide legal advice to their clients and are also able to represent them in court.

On the Lawyer Portal website, you may learn more about the process of becoming a barrister.

To become a solicitor requires a significant amount of dedication. You will need to devote at least six years of your life to studying and training full-time, and there is a lot of competition for training contracts.

Make it a goal to get as much information as possible about the nature of a legal profession by doing the following:

speaking with attorneys, such as at job fairs and similar events

submitting a request for work experience

The duties of a solicitor

The legal interests of their clients are represented and defended by solicitors, who also give advise in a variety of contexts, including the following examples:

providing specialized guidance on topics that are relevant to daily life, such as the purchase and sale of real estate and the management of broken relationships

assisting firms with their financial and economic dealings

defending the rights of people and ensuring that they are not discriminated against by either governmental or private organizations

offering free assistance (also known as "pro bono") in some situations, such as for persons who are financially unable to pay for legal services.

The job of a solicitor may be broken down into several categories:

Work in contentious law involves mediating disagreements between two or more parties, often in a judge's or arbitrator's chambers.

legal work that is not involved in a dispute is known as non-contentious legal work. This kind of legal work involves dealing with the legal elements of a client's business or personal concern, such as handling a corporate merger or drafting a will.

The following are some of the obligations of a solicitor:

doing research on existing cases and laws

composing legal papers such as letters, contracts, and wills among other documents

communication with customers as well as with other experts, such as barristers

defending clients in legal proceedings or before administrative bodies

The places where lawyers practice their profession

It's possible for solicitors to work in:

legal practices (private practice)

if the governance is central or local

divisions of law that are found inside organizations (in-house)

the Public Prosecution Service of the Crown

law centres

How much do solicitors make per hour?

There are a lot of different aspects that will determine how much money you might potentially make.

Skills

To be successful as a solicitor, you need to have a strong will and a lot of drive.

A legal profession demands:

intellectual capacity; the legal system is difficult.

adaptability, given that no two days are ever the same

commitment - training needs tremendous effort and expense

superior abilities in both verbal and writing communication

A solid academic foundation is necessary, but employers also look for personal qualities and characteristics, such as the following examples:

dedication

the ability to put in long hours of labor

personal honesty and a commitment to doing the right thing

consciousness of the market

having the ability to interact with people on many different levels while also earning their respect

Qualifications

In most cases, the following qualifications are required for admission to law school:

a minimum of five GCSEs with grades of C or above, including English, Mathematics, and perhaps another subject like a foreign language

a minimum of two A levels, with at least one A grade earned on each of those A levels, and for the most popular courses, three A levels

It is not often necessary to have completed an A level in law in order to pursue a degree in law; however, several colleges do have particular topic requirements that must be met. You could do some research and look at different types of classes to get an idea of what institutions are seeking.

There are ways to get qualified as a legal professional that do not include earning a degree in law. These include serving an apprenticeship or going via the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. These other routes can also take more time.

Learn more by reading:

holding a degree in law as a qualification

qualification with a degree in a subject other than law

qualifying despite the lack of a degree

How long it takes

If you study law full time, being a qualified solicitor will typically take at least six years of your life. If you get your degree in another field and then decide that you want to pursue a career in law, the transition will take much more time.