In a brazen attempt to keep this blog young, fresh and whizzing along, we are offering lucky readers the chance to submit their CV for our very own CV Clinique treatment.
Send us your manky excuse for a curriculum vitae and we'll have it looking like a CV super model in a jiffy - well, actually we'll do it when we get around to it. The catch is that you let us change your name and personal details (leaving your grades) and post before and after shots on this blog.
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
A Second Stab
You know the market is hot when this happens: The Lawyer reported on 9 March that City firm Nabarros re-opened its applications for training contracts commencing in 2007.
The new deadline is Friday 13th April.
Article in the The Lawyer
Nabarro's Graduate Recruitment Page
The new deadline is Friday 13th April.
Article in the The Lawyer
Nabarro's Graduate Recruitment Page
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
If You Must Apply for a Training Contract, Look Here...
The list below is taken from The Lawyer magazine's annual top 100 survey. (Remember, you are strongly advised to start reading the The Lawyer if you don't already.)
The rankings are done on turnover, so Clifford Chance is not necessarily the 'best' firm, it is simply the biggest by turnover.
Although many firms have dedicated graduate recruitment websites, the links are to the main websites. You should kick the tyres and try to get a feel for each firm by looking at its main website as well as its graduate recruitment site (if it has one).
If you concentrate your efforts on getting a training contract with law firms on this list, you won't go too far wrong. All the firms on the list are very reputable places to do a training contract.
Having said that, you should also consider US and other foreign firms in London, and this list misses many smaller firms and great niche and/or boutique firms that are also great places to do a training contract.
The rankings are done on turnover, so Clifford Chance is not necessarily the 'best' firm, it is simply the biggest by turnover.
Although many firms have dedicated graduate recruitment websites, the links are to the main websites. You should kick the tyres and try to get a feel for each firm by looking at its main website as well as its graduate recruitment site (if it has one).
If you concentrate your efforts on getting a training contract with law firms on this list, you won't go too far wrong. All the firms on the list are very reputable places to do a training contract.
Having said that, you should also consider US and other foreign firms in London, and this list misses many smaller firms and great niche and/or boutique firms that are also great places to do a training contract.
3 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
5 Lovells
11 Ashurst
12 Norton Rose
16 SJ Berwin
20 Hammonds
21 Clyde & Co
24 Wragge & Co
26 Bird & Bird
27 Salans
28= Macfarlanes
28= Reed Smith Richards Butler
31 Olswang
32 Shoosmiths
35 Withers
37 Halliwells
45 Cobbetts
48 Reynolds Porter Chamberlain
49 McGrigors
50 Ince & Co
Monday, 9 April 2007
What is the "Magic Circle" Anyway? And What Makes it so Magic?
The so-called Magic Circle consists of five law firms:
- Slaugher & May
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Clifford Chance
- Linklaters
- Allen & Overy
In a nutshell, what makes them magic is size and money.
Slaughters has always stood apart from the rest. In part this is because it has not chased the comprehensive 'global' strategy of the other four, and so has less overseas offices. Instead, it has a network of'best friends': i.e., firms it considers to be first rate in foreign jurisdications which it refers work to and receives referrals from.
So, while Slaughters has considerably fewer lawyers than the other four, it also has a higher PEP ("profit per equity partner") than them, so it stays in the club by having the richest partners.
One well known legal magazine, excludes Slaughters from the magic circle, because "it lacks global presence". Well, we include Slaughters because (a) it is the firm that all other corporate lawyers either admire, envy or both, and (b) according to the same legal mag., Slaughters' equity partners trouseres over £1.1mil each last year. Now that is magic.Slaughters aside, the rest of the Magic Circle tend to (a) be humungous compared to other firms, and (b) make more money (in absolute terms and again on a PEP basis) than other law firms.
To be fair, London is the legal and financial capital of Europe and many other parts of the world as well. The Magic Circle firms sit at the top of the heap in London, so they have a legitimate clam to be among the 'best' law firms in the world.
Sunday, 8 April 2007
Which Law Firms Should I Apply To?
First, you need to have an idea of what it is you might want to do for the rest of your career. It is okay at this stage not to have a great idea of this.
For example, you might want to be a sports lawyer or you might want to be a corporate lawyer. There is no reason why you can't apply to corporate factories as well as to niche sports law firms, so long as you don't 'fess up to this at interview - it sounds flakey.
Second, you need to be realistic. If you are studying at Scuzbrick Polyversity, you are not going to Slaughter & May.
Third, you need to get some sense of what differentiates law firms. In many cases, the answer is: not much. However, you can at least categorise the different firms.
Most law firms will fall into one of the following categories:-
Large City Firms - e.g. Clifford Chance
London Office of U.S. Firms - e.g. White & Case
Other City Firms - e.g. the Berwins - Berwin Leighton Paisner and SJ Berwin
'National' Firms - e.g. Eversheds
West End Firms - e.g. errmm
Niche Practices - e.g. Peters & Peters
Large Regional Firms - e.g. Shoosmiths
Other Regional Firms - e.g. errmm
High Street Firms Everywhere - eg.g look on your local high street.
In the City, the size of the law firm tends to dictate the following characteristics which tend to go together: reputation, money, beastings. I.e., the bigger the firm, the better the reputation, the more money you'll earn and the more you'll be beasted.
The above is a gross generalisation; however, it is a useful starting point.
If you are on for a First from Oxbridge, want to work at one of the 'best' firms and don't mind opting out of daylight, then of course go for the Magic Circle. You may also want to apply to some of the better U.S. outfits.
If your grades, University, or appetite for a beasting are less than the above, but you still want to be be a 'City' lawyer, then apply to the remainder of the top 30 English firms in London.
If you want a life and interesting work and are willing to forgo the big bucks - perhaps do media law or some such - apply to 'West End' firms.
If you would be happy to work in a regional firm outside of London, generally this means less prestige, less money, less high profile work (mega M&A deals will all be done in the City), better hours, better property prices, better commute, better schools for your children, better prospect of getting a training contract in the first place. It is that simple.
As the firm size gets smaller/more niche like, it helps to know what type of law you might want to do - with the general idea that what you want to do matches the strength of the firms you apply to.
As a general rule, it is easier to trade down in firm throughout your career than trade up. (Remember that size and prestige go hand-in-hand.) Ergo, if in doubt, start big - you can always trade down later in your career.
So:
1. Be realistic about which firms will have you.
2. Think about what type of law you might want to do.
3. The general rule (well, a gross generalisation, really) is the bigger the firm, the better the reputation, the more money you will earn and the bigger beasting you will get. Make your choices on this front.
4. Research firms so that you know which firms fall into which categories.
5. Apply to your chosen category of firms. Also, apply to firms that are one step up in the pecking order (or, if your aim is Magic Circle, do the top 30 firms).
6. As a variation on the above, if think you might be interested in a niche area, apply to firms in that niche as well as to 'full service' firms of comparable size or bigger.
7. Don't let the number of applications you do detract from quality. If you make the same typo 30 times, you will get the same rejection 3o times.
For example, you might want to be a sports lawyer or you might want to be a corporate lawyer. There is no reason why you can't apply to corporate factories as well as to niche sports law firms, so long as you don't 'fess up to this at interview - it sounds flakey.
Second, you need to be realistic. If you are studying at Scuzbrick Polyversity, you are not going to Slaughter & May.
Third, you need to get some sense of what differentiates law firms. In many cases, the answer is: not much. However, you can at least categorise the different firms.
Most law firms will fall into one of the following categories:-
Large City Firms - e.g. Clifford Chance
London Office of U.S. Firms - e.g. White & Case
Other City Firms - e.g. the Berwins - Berwin Leighton Paisner and SJ Berwin
'National' Firms - e.g. Eversheds
West End Firms - e.g. errmm
Niche Practices - e.g. Peters & Peters
Large Regional Firms - e.g. Shoosmiths
Other Regional Firms - e.g. errmm
High Street Firms Everywhere - eg.g look on your local high street.
In the City, the size of the law firm tends to dictate the following characteristics which tend to go together: reputation, money, beastings. I.e., the bigger the firm, the better the reputation, the more money you'll earn and the more you'll be beasted.
The above is a gross generalisation; however, it is a useful starting point.
If you are on for a First from Oxbridge, want to work at one of the 'best' firms and don't mind opting out of daylight, then of course go for the Magic Circle. You may also want to apply to some of the better U.S. outfits.
If your grades, University, or appetite for a beasting are less than the above, but you still want to be be a 'City' lawyer, then apply to the remainder of the top 30 English firms in London.
If you want a life and interesting work and are willing to forgo the big bucks - perhaps do media law or some such - apply to 'West End' firms.
If you would be happy to work in a regional firm outside of London, generally this means less prestige, less money, less high profile work (mega M&A deals will all be done in the City), better hours, better property prices, better commute, better schools for your children, better prospect of getting a training contract in the first place. It is that simple.
As the firm size gets smaller/more niche like, it helps to know what type of law you might want to do - with the general idea that what you want to do matches the strength of the firms you apply to.
As a general rule, it is easier to trade down in firm throughout your career than trade up. (Remember that size and prestige go hand-in-hand.) Ergo, if in doubt, start big - you can always trade down later in your career.
So:
1. Be realistic about which firms will have you.
2. Think about what type of law you might want to do.
3. The general rule (well, a gross generalisation, really) is the bigger the firm, the better the reputation, the more money you will earn and the bigger beasting you will get. Make your choices on this front.
4. Research firms so that you know which firms fall into which categories.
5. Apply to your chosen category of firms. Also, apply to firms that are one step up in the pecking order (or, if your aim is Magic Circle, do the top 30 firms).
6. As a variation on the above, if think you might be interested in a niche area, apply to firms in that niche as well as to 'full service' firms of comparable size or bigger.
7. Don't let the number of applications you do detract from quality. If you make the same typo 30 times, you will get the same rejection 3o times.
Friday, 6 April 2007
First year LLB student - enhancing employment prospects now.
You are just starting law school? What should you be doing now vis-a-vis getting a training contract?
Introduction
Assuming you are doing a 3 year LLB, you are going to be applying for a training contract after the end of your second year with a view to securing a training contract at the start of third year.
Do the math: that gives you two years. Don't waste the first one at the Student Union Bar.
Think About Who You Will be Applying To
When you apply to UR Future Employer LLP, you will have two audiences:
(a) Ms. Eville Dour, Graduate Recruitment Officer, who will decide whether to put your application into a 'reject' pile or not, and
(b) Partners at UR Future Employer LLP who will interview you.
Things to know now about Ms. Eville Dour
This is Eville Dour's day job. It pays her rent and feeds her Primark habit.
Eville Dour is not a risk taker.
If UR Future Employer LLP takes on, say, 20 trainees a year, it will receive between several hundred and a couple of thousand applications.
Eville Dour is spoilt for choice.
We'll discuss the psychology of Eville Dour elsewhere; but, for now, suffice it to say that Eville Dour is a 'box ticker'. You should be thinking now about ticking boxes.
This means extra-curricular activities and, in particular, getting on committees and the like. If you are sporty, being secretary or, better, president of the [insert the name of your sport] Club is good. If not, it is the [moot]/[debating] team or some other law related club for you. If you can't stomach that, do something charitable - reading to underprivileged children or such like - but you need to be on the committee.
UR Future Employer LLP's application form will include some variation of, "describe a situation where you have shown teamwork", "describe a situation where you have shown leadership skills" etc.
Compare these answers:
(a) "I spent my first year on the pull with my mate Dave who was doing Archeology. We took it in turns to fly wing. We were thrice as likely to wake up with some random girl when we went out together than when we went out alone. We made a great team.
Once, Dave really fancied this blonde and lost his nerve. So, without Dave knowing, I gave her a bottle of alcopops and told her that it was from Dave. All Dave saw was that I was talking to her, and I went back and told Dave that she fancied him. He looked over to her, she smiled, and they ended up copping-off solid for about three months after that. It was all down to me assessing the situation and taking a lead."
OR
(b) "As secretary of the Varsity Moot Society, I was part of a team responsible for the day-to-day running of the Society, and was actively involved in a sub-group which published the VMS Newsletter. I also lead a sub-committee responsible for raising funds to go to the European Law Moot Court Competition in Barcelona. My role included leading sub-committee meetings, overseeing the allocation of tasks, ensuring effective communication within the sub-committee and following up with sub-committee members to ensure that everything was done on time."
The second answer ticks all of Eville Dour's boxes, and it does it in a way which she can't fault. This answer has saved you from the reject pile.
Things to Know About the Partners Interviewing You for Training Contract at UR Future Employer LLP
First, they are sick of Eville Dour shortlisting clones for interview year on year.
Second, odds are that they are motivated by money.
Third, they will lose £30k-£50k on employing you before they start turning your late nights in the office into a profit. I say "they" because, as partners in the business, it is cash out of their jeans.
So, fourth, while they want you to stand out from the rest of the Eville Dour's clones, they want you to do this in a mature, knowledgeable kind of way.
Fifth, they need you to stay probably until about a year after qualification to break even before they start spanking a profit out of you. You are a long term investment and need to look and sound like a good one.
Sixth, the day you arrive at UR Future Employer LLP they are going to start asking clients for about £100 an hour for your services. They need to be able to do this with a straight face: i.e., you need to look the business.
Where does this leave us? When you get to interview, you need to be able to speak their language. So, starting week one of law school - or now if it is too late for that - read their trade magazines and read their clients' trade magazines.
For example, if you want to be a City corporate lawyer, read The Lawyer and/or Legal Week magazines, plus the FT and the Economist.
Summary
Introduction
Assuming you are doing a 3 year LLB, you are going to be applying for a training contract after the end of your second year with a view to securing a training contract at the start of third year.
Do the math: that gives you two years. Don't waste the first one at the Student Union Bar.
Think About Who You Will be Applying To
When you apply to UR Future Employer LLP, you will have two audiences:
(a) Ms. Eville Dour, Graduate Recruitment Officer, who will decide whether to put your application into a 'reject' pile or not, and
(b) Partners at UR Future Employer LLP who will interview you.
Things to know now about Ms. Eville Dour
This is Eville Dour's day job. It pays her rent and feeds her Primark habit.
Eville Dour is not a risk taker.
If UR Future Employer LLP takes on, say, 20 trainees a year, it will receive between several hundred and a couple of thousand applications.
Eville Dour is spoilt for choice.
We'll discuss the psychology of Eville Dour elsewhere; but, for now, suffice it to say that Eville Dour is a 'box ticker'. You should be thinking now about ticking boxes.
This means extra-curricular activities and, in particular, getting on committees and the like. If you are sporty, being secretary or, better, president of the [insert the name of your sport] Club is good. If not, it is the [moot]/[debating] team or some other law related club for you. If you can't stomach that, do something charitable - reading to underprivileged children or such like - but you need to be on the committee.
UR Future Employer LLP's application form will include some variation of, "describe a situation where you have shown teamwork", "describe a situation where you have shown leadership skills" etc.
Compare these answers:
(a) "I spent my first year on the pull with my mate Dave who was doing Archeology. We took it in turns to fly wing. We were thrice as likely to wake up with some random girl when we went out together than when we went out alone. We made a great team.
Once, Dave really fancied this blonde and lost his nerve. So, without Dave knowing, I gave her a bottle of alcopops and told her that it was from Dave. All Dave saw was that I was talking to her, and I went back and told Dave that she fancied him. He looked over to her, she smiled, and they ended up copping-off solid for about three months after that. It was all down to me assessing the situation and taking a lead."
OR
(b) "As secretary of the Varsity Moot Society, I was part of a team responsible for the day-to-day running of the Society, and was actively involved in a sub-group which published the VMS Newsletter. I also lead a sub-committee responsible for raising funds to go to the European Law Moot Court Competition in Barcelona. My role included leading sub-committee meetings, overseeing the allocation of tasks, ensuring effective communication within the sub-committee and following up with sub-committee members to ensure that everything was done on time."
The second answer ticks all of Eville Dour's boxes, and it does it in a way which she can't fault. This answer has saved you from the reject pile.
Things to Know About the Partners Interviewing You for Training Contract at UR Future Employer LLP
First, they are sick of Eville Dour shortlisting clones for interview year on year.
Second, odds are that they are motivated by money.
Third, they will lose £30k-£50k on employing you before they start turning your late nights in the office into a profit. I say "they" because, as partners in the business, it is cash out of their jeans.
So, fourth, while they want you to stand out from the rest of the Eville Dour's clones, they want you to do this in a mature, knowledgeable kind of way.
Fifth, they need you to stay probably until about a year after qualification to break even before they start spanking a profit out of you. You are a long term investment and need to look and sound like a good one.
Sixth, the day you arrive at UR Future Employer LLP they are going to start asking clients for about £100 an hour for your services. They need to be able to do this with a straight face: i.e., you need to look the business.
Where does this leave us? When you get to interview, you need to be able to speak their language. So, starting week one of law school - or now if it is too late for that - read their trade magazines and read their clients' trade magazines.
For example, if you want to be a City corporate lawyer, read The Lawyer and/or Legal Week magazines, plus the FT and the Economist.
Summary
1. Stay out of the Student Union Bar and get decent grades. (Even if they don't count to your degree, they'll show up on your application form.)
2. Join a club or group.
3. Get on the committee.
4. Start reading The Lawyer and/or Legal Week magazines.
5. Read a serious newspaper and The Economist - it is amazing the random, 'interview conversation filler' one picks up in The Economist.
6. If you are interested in a particular area of law, find and read trade magazines relevant to your future clients.
No Training Contract. What Should I Do?
So, you are about to finish the LPC and don't have a training contract... What should you do?
First, persevere.
Second, if you are interested in working for a smaller law firm or working outside of London, read the small adverts at the back of the Law Society Gazette. This should be available in your law library, or otherwise visit the Law Society's building on Chancery Lane for a copy.
Third, if you have identified the firms you are interested in (and have been realistic in your aims - if you have a 2:2 from Scuzbrick Polyversity you are not going to get into a Magic Circle firm - period - let alone on short notice), telephone the firms. Before you do that, do your homework: read each firm's website, find its recruitment policy and the name of the graduate recruitment officer (if available) and so on.
Example: [telephone] *ring ring*, "Partner and Partner Solicitors, how may I help you?"
"Hello, my name is Anne Applicant, may I please speak to Eville Dour in your HR department."
"Hold the line, crawler."
"Hello, this is Eville Dour."
"Hello Ms. Dour. My name is Anne Applicant. I am just about to finish the LPC. I have seen your trainee recruitment policy on your website; however, I was wondering if Partner & Partner have any vacancies for training contracts for this September?"
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I am Eville Dour. Go away!"
Be ready for a whole lot of rejection; but, if you don't ask, you don't get.
Fourth, your most likely option to find a job at a law firm is to become a paralegal. Most large City firms employ a lot of paralegals on an ad hoc basis.
Beware: this is a lowly position. Basically, both large scale litigation and large corporate/finance transactions create a *lot* of mundane work. On the litigation side, this is usually at the discovery stage of proceedings: e.g., putting together court bundles, or sometimes reviewing mountains of documents for 'incriminating' evidence. On the transactional side, let's call the work photocopying, filing, administration and being a general dogsbody, and you will get the jist.
The larger City firms also employ, "know-how paralegals". Basically, this is a sop to Professional Support Laywers ("PSLs"). PSLs are qualified lawyers who do a non-fee earning role. They create and maintain precedent/standard form documents, do legal research and stay on top of developments in the law, etc.
Most PSLs become PSLs for lifestyle reasons: unshackled from client demands, PSLs should have sane and fairly regular hours. The job also lends itself to part-time work, and a fair number of PSLs have young children. They generally take a pay cut for this, and generally get a 'perk' of having a paralegal to do their donkey work. It could be you...
Look on the large firms' websites directly and/or call the HR department directly to apply for paralegal positions. Otherwise, register with one of the major legal recruitment agencies.
English law firms tend to treat the paralegal position as a temporary one. It is unusual - and often a bit sad, really - if you are a paralegal for more than say, 18 months. Most paralegals do the job for 6-12 months only.
In America, 'career' paralegals are much more prevalent - the position is viewed as a career and not a temporary stop-gap. Accordingly, the London offices of US law firms will tend to pay better, but, then, you will probably work harder and more hours than in an English firm.
In the meantime, revert to Plan A re getting a training contract.
First, persevere.
Second, if you are interested in working for a smaller law firm or working outside of London, read the small adverts at the back of the Law Society Gazette. This should be available in your law library, or otherwise visit the Law Society's building on Chancery Lane for a copy.
Third, if you have identified the firms you are interested in (and have been realistic in your aims - if you have a 2:2 from Scuzbrick Polyversity you are not going to get into a Magic Circle firm - period - let alone on short notice), telephone the firms. Before you do that, do your homework: read each firm's website, find its recruitment policy and the name of the graduate recruitment officer (if available) and so on.
Example: [telephone] *ring ring*, "Partner and Partner Solicitors, how may I help you?"
"Hello, my name is Anne Applicant, may I please speak to Eville Dour in your HR department."
"Hold the line, crawler."
"Hello, this is Eville Dour."
"Hello Ms. Dour. My name is Anne Applicant. I am just about to finish the LPC. I have seen your trainee recruitment policy on your website; however, I was wondering if Partner & Partner have any vacancies for training contracts for this September?"
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I am Eville Dour. Go away!"
Be ready for a whole lot of rejection; but, if you don't ask, you don't get.
Fourth, your most likely option to find a job at a law firm is to become a paralegal. Most large City firms employ a lot of paralegals on an ad hoc basis.
Beware: this is a lowly position. Basically, both large scale litigation and large corporate/finance transactions create a *lot* of mundane work. On the litigation side, this is usually at the discovery stage of proceedings: e.g., putting together court bundles, or sometimes reviewing mountains of documents for 'incriminating' evidence. On the transactional side, let's call the work photocopying, filing, administration and being a general dogsbody, and you will get the jist.
The larger City firms also employ, "know-how paralegals". Basically, this is a sop to Professional Support Laywers ("PSLs"). PSLs are qualified lawyers who do a non-fee earning role. They create and maintain precedent/standard form documents, do legal research and stay on top of developments in the law, etc.
Most PSLs become PSLs for lifestyle reasons: unshackled from client demands, PSLs should have sane and fairly regular hours. The job also lends itself to part-time work, and a fair number of PSLs have young children. They generally take a pay cut for this, and generally get a 'perk' of having a paralegal to do their donkey work. It could be you...
Look on the large firms' websites directly and/or call the HR department directly to apply for paralegal positions. Otherwise, register with one of the major legal recruitment agencies.
English law firms tend to treat the paralegal position as a temporary one. It is unusual - and often a bit sad, really - if you are a paralegal for more than say, 18 months. Most paralegals do the job for 6-12 months only.
In America, 'career' paralegals are much more prevalent - the position is viewed as a career and not a temporary stop-gap. Accordingly, the London offices of US law firms will tend to pay better, but, then, you will probably work harder and more hours than in an English firm.
In the meantime, revert to Plan A re getting a training contract.
When Should I Apply for a Training Contract?
Most training contracts are awarded at the start of your last year of undergraduate study (with the final date for applications being some time before that) . The underlying reason is the Voluntary Code of Good Practice in the Recruitment of Trainee Solicitors. See point 2 under "Employers" here:
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/documents/downloads/becomingtrainingvoluntarycodev12004.pdf
Having said that, you need to check with each individual law firm what its recruitment policies and deadlines are. Most law firms will have these posted on their website.
Of course, some training contracts will be awarded on shorter notice. This is less likely to happen at the bigger City law firms which have fairly rigid application procedures, but it is true of some smaller firms, and on an ad hoc basis, e.g. where someone with a training contract chooses not to take it up for some reason.
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/documents/downloads/becomingtrainingvoluntarycodev12004.pdf
Having said that, you need to check with each individual law firm what its recruitment policies and deadlines are. Most law firms will have these posted on their website.
Of course, some training contracts will be awarded on shorter notice. This is less likely to happen at the bigger City law firms which have fairly rigid application procedures, but it is true of some smaller firms, and on an ad hoc basis, e.g. where someone with a training contract chooses not to take it up for some reason.
Monday, 2 April 2007
The difference between a Barrister and a Solicitor
Introduction
In England and Wales (and various other jurisdictions for that matter) a lawyer will either be a Barrister or a Solicitor. In some jurisidictions lawyers automatically qualify as both a Barrister and a Solicitor.
Until recently, the distinction between the two professions was clear. Barristers never did what Solicitors do or vice versa. The distinction is breaking down to an extent, but the following holds true as a general rule (and, like the rest of this blog, as a general introduction).
Solicitors
If a person or company needs to hire a lawyer, they go to a Solicitor.
Solicitors do all the legal work required by that person or company, except that (a) if a matter goes to Court, the Solicitor will engage a Barrister to "stand up in Court" - i.e. Barristers wear the wigs and gowns and do the talking in Court - and, (b) sometimes, if a question is really hard, the Solicitor will go to a Barrister to ask his/her opinion.
Almost all Solicitors in private practice (i.e. those who do not work "in-house" for a company) work in a law firm. (A fairly small number are "sole-practictioners", i.e. they work for themselves.) Law firms are not "companies", rather they are "partnerships" owned by the partners, who will all be solicitors and as a general rule all working in the firm.
The partners will employ other qualified solicitors to assist them. These underpaid and generally downtrodden folk are generally known as "Assistants" or by a slightly more modern/American term "Associates".
Law firms may also have "Trainee Solicitors", ie. people who are completing the on-the-job Vocational Training element of qualifying as a Solicitor. (See post called.)
Barristers
Barristers in private practice are self-employed and work in a "set of Chambers" aka a "set" or "Chambers". Barristers' Chambers are basically co-operatives. Each Barrister will pay either an agreed fee to cover Chambers' overheads or a percentage of his/her income, or a combination of both.
In London, each set of Chambers will be associate with one of four Inns of Court: Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Middle Temple or Inner Temple.
"In-House Lawyers"
Having said all that, both Barristers and Solicitors can be employed by companies. This is generally referred to as working "in-house", and the lawyer is often called an "in-house lawyer" or an "in-house counsel".
A relatively small number of companies - these tend to be large companies with big in-house legal departments - offer training contracts; however, it is more normal for lawyers working in-house to have started in private practice before "going in-house".
In England and Wales (and various other jurisdictions for that matter) a lawyer will either be a Barrister or a Solicitor. In some jurisidictions lawyers automatically qualify as both a Barrister and a Solicitor.
Until recently, the distinction between the two professions was clear. Barristers never did what Solicitors do or vice versa. The distinction is breaking down to an extent, but the following holds true as a general rule (and, like the rest of this blog, as a general introduction).
Solicitors
If a person or company needs to hire a lawyer, they go to a Solicitor.
Solicitors do all the legal work required by that person or company, except that (a) if a matter goes to Court, the Solicitor will engage a Barrister to "stand up in Court" - i.e. Barristers wear the wigs and gowns and do the talking in Court - and, (b) sometimes, if a question is really hard, the Solicitor will go to a Barrister to ask his/her opinion.
Almost all Solicitors in private practice (i.e. those who do not work "in-house" for a company) work in a law firm. (A fairly small number are "sole-practictioners", i.e. they work for themselves.) Law firms are not "companies", rather they are "partnerships" owned by the partners, who will all be solicitors and as a general rule all working in the firm.
The partners will employ other qualified solicitors to assist them. These underpaid and generally downtrodden folk are generally known as "Assistants" or by a slightly more modern/American term "Associates".
Law firms may also have "Trainee Solicitors", ie. people who are completing the on-the-job Vocational Training element of qualifying as a Solicitor. (See post called.)
Barristers
Barristers in private practice are self-employed and work in a "set of Chambers" aka a "set" or "Chambers". Barristers' Chambers are basically co-operatives. Each Barrister will pay either an agreed fee to cover Chambers' overheads or a percentage of his/her income, or a combination of both.
In London, each set of Chambers will be associate with one of four Inns of Court: Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Middle Temple or Inner Temple.
"In-House Lawyers"
Having said all that, both Barristers and Solicitors can be employed by companies. This is generally referred to as working "in-house", and the lawyer is often called an "in-house lawyer" or an "in-house counsel".
A relatively small number of companies - these tend to be large companies with big in-house legal departments - offer training contracts; however, it is more normal for lawyers working in-house to have started in private practice before "going in-house".
The Path to Becoming a Solicitor - The Basics
Well now, so you want to be a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales?
For most Solicitors, the path to qualification follows three stages:
For most Solicitors, the path to qualification follows three stages:
- Academic Study
- Vocational Study
- Vocational Training
Academic Study
You have two choices:
- Do an English law degree.
- Do a non-English law degree (e.g. Arts, or a foreign law degree), and then do a one year law course which will either be called a graduate diploma in law ("GDL") or the common professional exam (CPE") depending on where you take it.
Vocational Study
Whichever route you take for the academic stage, you then need to complete a one-year Legal Practice Course (the "LPC").
Vocational Training
The final stage to qualifying as a solicitor is a two-year paid training contract with a law firm or with a legal department of a company that is registered to offer training contracts.
During your training contract, you will need to complete a part-time Professional Skills Course ("PSC").
Qualification
If you get through all that, you then apply to the Law Society of England and Wales to go on the Roll. Assuming you've kept your head down and been good, this should be automatic at this stage. When your name goes on the Roll, you become a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Further Reading
For a more thorough, and more official guide to qualifying as a solicitor, see http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/becomingasolicitor.law.
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