Many may think barristers and solicitors are almost identical, but it can be said they are far from it. They are qualified legal professionals, who provide support and advice to their clients. Nevertheless, there are subtle differences that can change the circumstances to choose a “type” of lawyer.
Usually, many would ask their local solicitor for legal advice. They are fairly more convenient for them to approach, and are more accessible. Solicitors amount to 181,347 in the UK, compared to the number of barristers totalling to roughly 18,000. Solicitors tend to be everywhere, from your local high street to the corporate city buildings, as there is a demand for their services.
All barristers with practising certificates may work as self-employed, employed or as a dual practitioner. The majority are self-employed and tend to work alone; solicitors can work for different organisations including: commercial or non-commercial law firms, governments, banks and corporations. Both are incredibly important, tackling a wide variety of issues, but they can be argued as “different”.
A solicitor can represent in court, but they usually refer a barrister. Additionally, they would charge a referral fee towards the client. The rules have now changed, as until recently, it was compulsory for clients with a legal dispute to go to a solicitor first. The solicitor would traditionally deal with the preparation of the case, and they would instruct a barrister to represent the client at the hearing. Now, under the Public Access Scheme, individuals can remove the solicitor and go directly to a barrister to represent the client at the hearing. This would be beneficial, as the client would have to deal with only one lawyer, and get their full attention for the case strategy. Those who had access to Legal Aid were not able to get Public Access; new rules have now widened the scheme if certain conditions are met.
There is a push for barristers to be more accessible to the general public. Many may not know about the recent changes, and Barristers4U provides a clear approach saving huge sums of money for the client.