Many people are confused as to the differences between lawyers,
solicitors, attorneys and barristers. I was speaking to a couple of solicitors Wirral way and we were discussing family legal aid Wirral
when the topic turned to the different terms available for those
practicing the law. Barristers and solicitors are all lawyers, but they
are different types of lawyers. One is not ‘better’, more experienced or
more senior than the other. They have quite different training and
expertise and do different types of legal work.
Contrary to popular belief both barristers and solicitors can become judges, although more judges have come from the bar than from the ranks of solicitors, and still do. The word lawyer, or attorney as is commonly used in the USA, is a general term and can mean anyone who gives legal advice or believes himself learned in one or more areas of law; it is often used to describe solicitors, barristers, legal executives and others and more often than not it is used to describe the whole legal profession.
The traditional legal profession is however divided into solicitors and barristers. Solicitors advise clients and represent them in civil and criminal courts and also deal with business advice wills conveyancing and every area of law - some specialise in specific areas of law and others may be "general practitioners.
Barristers (often called counsel) may be junior counsel or Queens Counsel (selected for special ability and experience). Their clients are the solicitors who "instruct" them. At one time barristers had sole rights to appear in the High Court and the court of appeal and the House of Lords but this monopoly is now disappearing. At one time the solicitor appearing in open court wore a robe but the barrister wore a robe and a horsehair wig, but the wig is now being abolished.
Although many people think of solicitors as being boring or unscrupulous the fact is that we cannot do without them. I know of a solicitors family in Wirral who keep telling their son to change careers as they feel he is earning himself a bad reputation just by being linked to a certain firm of solicitors in the Wirral area.
There are many types of solicitors all of whom are qualified in various aspects of the law and tend to stick with the areas that they are experts in. Some types are:
Solicitors in Wirral the same as in most other places, that is to say that there will be good ones and bad ones all working at the same time to try and secure the available clientele.
Contrary to popular belief both barristers and solicitors can become judges, although more judges have come from the bar than from the ranks of solicitors, and still do. The word lawyer, or attorney as is commonly used in the USA, is a general term and can mean anyone who gives legal advice or believes himself learned in one or more areas of law; it is often used to describe solicitors, barristers, legal executives and others and more often than not it is used to describe the whole legal profession.
The traditional legal profession is however divided into solicitors and barristers. Solicitors advise clients and represent them in civil and criminal courts and also deal with business advice wills conveyancing and every area of law - some specialise in specific areas of law and others may be "general practitioners.
Barristers (often called counsel) may be junior counsel or Queens Counsel (selected for special ability and experience). Their clients are the solicitors who "instruct" them. At one time barristers had sole rights to appear in the High Court and the court of appeal and the House of Lords but this monopoly is now disappearing. At one time the solicitor appearing in open court wore a robe but the barrister wore a robe and a horsehair wig, but the wig is now being abolished.
Although many people think of solicitors as being boring or unscrupulous the fact is that we cannot do without them. I know of a solicitors family in Wirral who keep telling their son to change careers as they feel he is earning himself a bad reputation just by being linked to a certain firm of solicitors in the Wirral area.
There are many types of solicitors all of whom are qualified in various aspects of the law and tend to stick with the areas that they are experts in. Some types are:
- High street solicitors give the public legal advice and may arrange for them to be represented by a barrister in court.
- Commercial solicitors give legal advice to companies, draft contracts and ensure that all the legalities are complied with.
- Property solicitors ensure that nothing goes wrong when property is bought and sold.
- Solicitors working for the government draft statutes and give legal advice to different government departments.
Solicitors in Wirral the same as in most other places, that is to say that there will be good ones and bad ones all working at the same time to try and secure the available clientele.
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