The legal profession is often shrouded in an air of mystery, intrigue, drama and suspense, no doubt encouraged by a plethora of films and television shows and even occasionally by real-life courtroom sensations.
However behind all of that lies serious and learned scholarship, intensive research skills and the arguments and persuasive powers that make an excellent solicitor or barrister.
Solicitors (represented by the Law Society) tend to work in small firms as partners. Individuals or companies will go directly to them with a legal problem or issue. Solicitors will have direct contact with them, preparing cases and advising on points of law, as well as providing representation in the courtroom (but only in the magistrates’ or county courts).
Their daily business could involve dealing with wills, estates, conveyancing. This could mean such diverse work as researching and writing complex documents, negotiating between opposing parties, managing their own work as well as delegating work to trainees, or briefing barristers before court, all based on a detailed knowledge of case and statute law.
Barristers on the other hand (represented by the Bar Council) specialise in argument, support and representation of clients in some of the highest courts in the land. They are contracted by solicitors to deal with particular cases when there is no option but to go before the courts. In contrast with the general nature of the work of solicitors, barristers concentrate on particular areas of the law, for example, they may choose to specialise in criminal law, common law (family law, compensation claims), or commercial law.
Their work will involve mastering the complexities of their legal briefs, getting cases ready to go before the court, estimating the value of different types and weight of evidence, questioning witnesses in court. The actual time spent in court will be determined by the specialism chosen.
For solicitors, trainees will expect to earn slightly less than the average national wage, while qualified solicitors will earn just above that. Substantial salaries can be earned by the more senior solicitors. Although salaries for barristers going through the final year of their qualifying period can be quite low (in some cases half of the average national wage), for fully qualified and experienced barristers salaries can reach £100,000 and more.
There are other positions in the legal profession to consider.
Chartered legal executives work in private practice, specialising in one particular aspect of law, charging their work directly to clients and, with further specialised training may eventually become solicitors. Paralegals work in a support function in a legal environment and could be legal secretaries who have some legal training, or graduates who have not yet completed their training.
For the more ambitious, circuit, district and High Court judges have varying degrees of roles and powers, covering the three jurisdictions of civil, criminal and family law, with twelve judges sitting on the Supreme Court, the highest court of appeal
The legal profession will provide you with the immense satisfaction that comes from wining a case for a client.