What is a solicitor?
Being a solicitor differs from country to country. Most solicitors can be found in UK, although there are also some other legal systems in which solicitors find their place, in countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
However, since most solicitors are found in UK and Ireland, we will further discuss their case. During Law University, students that prepare to be lawyers can choose one of these 2 paths: solicitors or barristers. A solicitor job is rather administrative, as most solicitors are usually hired by companies. Opposed, a barrister is more of a self-employed/freelancer. Although a solicitor has a lower financial aim when compared with a barrister, most law students choose to become solicitors as this is a safer position, and careers can be built much easier.
Most solicitors activate in the field of personal injuries and accident claims, although they are also working in litigation cases, conveyance, medical negligence cases and others. When a customer initially approaches a law company for a claim, the project is assigned to a solicitor who assesses the case and decides if it is worth pursuing or not. This solicitor will refer to a barrister only in cases where he believes he may need an advocate. Thus, a solicitor is like a link between barristers and general public.
Now, about training to become a solicitor. First, any person that wishes to become a solicitor must complete the law school and receive the law degree. After that, any prospective solicitor must take a one-year course called the legal practice course, which is held by Law Society and its "satellites". After two years of apprenticeship next to an official solicitor desk, the process ends.
In the following years, the separation between solicitors and barristers in UK is expected to be diminished, as there are several active merging trends. An unified regulatory system would mean a much more performant legal system.