Legal Careers in the UK

There are lots of legal careers available in the UK all of which cover different parts of the legal system and follow a different path to qualification. The term “lawyer” covers all of these careers and you need to define which career path you wish to follow.

Solicitor
A solicitor can be responsible for a wide variety of legal tasks which include working with the clients, starting a case, offering legal advice, conducting research and documents to make a case, drawing up contracts for various uses and much more.

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Solicitors also set up and take part on litigation and mediation processes with their client and the opposing party in an effort to stop the case going to court. A solicitor can only represent their client in the magistrate’s court. Solicitors who wish to represent their clients in the higher courts need to get rights of advocacy and become a Solicitor Advocate.

To qualify as a solicitor you need to complete a degree, a legal practice course and a 2 year training contract with a law firm.

Barrister
A barrister is hired by a solicitor when a case is ready to go to court. The barrister will represent the client in the high courts and giving specialist legal advice to the client. The barrister presents the case to the judge and jury of the court and questions evidence and witnesses. A barrister is forbidden to participate in any tasks relating to litigation outside of court.

To qualify as a barrister you will need to complete a degree, a BPTC course and then a yearlong paid pupillage. You will also need to be a member of an Inn. After your pupillage you will need to find a tenancy with chambers to work as a barrister.

Solicitor Advocate
A Solicitor Advocate is the career in between the solicitor and the barrister. A solicitor advocate is a qualified solicitor who has rights of audience to be able to represent their clients in the higher courts. These higher courts are the Crown Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and the House of Lords amongst others. A solicitor advocate means there is no need to hire an external barrister to represent the case in court which can have many advantages. The solicitor advocate will have a lot of experience of the case from the very beginning compared to a barrister who just comes into contact with the facts once the case goes to court. It can also work out significantly cheaper for many clients to have a solicitor advocate than a barrister.

There are many other legal careers available if the above three are not for you.

Paralegals tend to be law graduates that have chosen not to do further study although there are no specific entry requirements or vocational qualifications for this position. Paralegals support so