If you are passionate and you would like to work in a legal field, it is a good idea to comprehend the various roles that actually exist. Most people get confused when it comes to the difference between a Lawyer, a solicitor and a barrister. By the end of the text the reader will be in a position to differentiating all these legal terms. The text gives a clarification which is going to provide a good understanding about these roles.
Who is a Lawyer?
The simplest part about this discussion is defining who a lawyer is. This phrase acts as an umbrella phrase that is used in the description of any authorized legal expert who has the necessary qualification to offer some legal advice. This is the reason why solicitors as well as barristers considered and categorized under this lawyer umbrella. A lawyer is therefore a general term that refers to someone who offers some legal device as well as help. In a similar manner, a lawyer can conduct suits in a court.
Who is a solicitor and what are they responsible for?
A solicitor is basically a lawyer who is capable of working with individuals, private & public sector organizations as well as groups. As a tradition, solicitors were the first people where individuals in need of legal advice would come for assistance. According to the solicitor view, one can be referred to the barrister based on the type of case that is being dealt with if need be. Being part of what is expected of them; a solicitor should ensure to with the clients & produce the required documents as well as paperwork in order to help with the necessary actions. This may incorporate creation of documents, letters & contracts in order to meet the needs of their clients. The solicitor is similarly responsible for assuming the role of leading in the preparation of court papers. They are also responsible for leading the legal secretaries if any or the assistants who might be there in support of the case.
Solicitors cover a larger area in the legal field including claims for personal injuries, wills, family law, property law, probate & some areas of the criminal law (usually the lower level cases). In most of these law areas, among their main roles is acting as negotiators between their client & some other party, aiming at securing the agreed upon objectives with their clients. While solicitors might come to court when needed, they might need a barrister who is going to play their part in various instances. For some cases, they are going to act in the support of the barrister.
A good solicitor should have a complete comprehension of those legal areas which they normally apply their practice. The solicitor is required pay close attention to detail since even the small mistakes are capable of causing serious impacts. They must possess proper negotiation skills despite having that ability of controlling the expectations of their clients in a manner that clients comprehend whether the demands they are making are reasonable or not.
Who is a barrister, what are they responsible for?
A barrister is simply a unique lawyer who represents individuals or even organizations in the court room sessions. The barrister can similarly give their clients a legal advice in written form. In general, a barrister is just needed in the legal procedures when legal representation is needed in the court. They might similarly give some written down opinions to their clients (or maybe the solicitors) as an advice to them about their cases’ strength. This might incorporate advice that explains whether they are contented that the involved case actually be presented to the court.
Barristers in most cases specialize in a single law area. This ensures that provide their clients with the best representation they can ever imagine in their areas of specialization. Being among their roles in the courtroom, barristers might give evidence, examine the witnesses & make strong statements in their efforts to support the client’s case. These legal experts do not work one on one with their clients. Instead, they are always briefed by the solicitors to assist them in comprehending the every detail of the involved case. One barrister is capable of working with a big team of solicitors in order to come up with a very strong case for their clients.
Most barristers have actually employed themselves. However, they maintain links with various law firms in that area. The barristers might be working in “chambers” together with some other barristers who are practicing in that region. It is not any wonder when you find two barristers in one chamber working against one another on the opposite sides of the involved case. You might get some barristers collaborating with the prosecution service to represent the country. Other barristers just work throughout with their commercial clients, which is part of the legal departments.
A barrister is a kind of lawyer who has specialized in a single area of law. This therefore implies that a barrister is required to possess a thorough comprehension of the platform. The barrister should have a strong negotiating skill, and struggle to fight against those things that oppose whatever they believe. Most barristers believe that they should accept the clients’ case when the case is offered to them, regardless of the personal convictions they may have. The only case when this is exceptional is when the barrister proves that the case has some conflict of interests.
Conclusion
While all of them describe a legal professional type & often come up in the court’s context, there are actually some differences between them as we explained in the text above. It’s not only about the kind of wigs & gowns that one gets to wear. Discover the actual differences between a barrister, a lawyer and a solicitor with the simple guide above. The three terms that are always confusing in most cases should be clear by now and you should be confused when you hear them being used in the legal field.