What is a Solicitor?
A solicitor is one of two types of lawyer who practice in the UK, and the one that most people are likely to come into contact with at some point in their life.
Traditionally solicitors are responsible for dealing with the more minor cases going through the county and magistrates courts, and for doing the preparatory and administrative work in other cases.
This differs from barristers, the UK’s other type of lawyer, who traditionally deal with cases in the high court, crown court and court of appeal, and are mainly responsible for advocating in court on behalf of a client.
Today the line between the two professions is becoming more and more blurred.
Solicitors can now get rights of audience in all of the higher courts, and barristers can now engage directly with the public in some cases, whereas they could previously only be briefed by a solicitor.
Role of a Solicitor
Most people will have dealings with a solicitor at some point in their life, whether they are buying a house, writing a will, trying to resolve a dispute or involved in any other matter where the law is concerned.
Solicitors are concerned with offering legal advice and services to customers.
Legal services constitute a wide range of things, and the law can be complex, so solicitors tend to specialise in one particular area and offer a couple of services related to it.
Solicitors are generally employed by, or are partners in, law firms. The size and scope of modern law firms ranges from huge multinational businesses to small single office practices.
Law firms tend to specialise in certain areas, such as offering services to businesses.
Finding a Solicitor
The legal profession is rapidly modernising, abandoning its old fashioned image and becoming more widely available to the public.
This means that finding a solicitor has never been easier.
However, Finding a Solicitor specialising in the right area and with the right experience to assist you can be more difficult.
This is where we come in; our Find a Solicitor Service can quickly match your details with an excellent specialist, anywhere in the country.
