Explain the work & training of barristers & solicitors

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  1. Explain the work & training of barristers & solicitors?

In the Western world, where the majority of employment occurs in the service sector, rather than the primary sector as it does in the developing world, there are certain jobs that carry a very high status. Careers such as doctor, accountant and lawyer are to name but a few of these high status jobs and it is lawyers that I am going to be focussing on in this essay.

     In England, since the 15th century lawyers have been split up into two professions, barristers & solicitors. Solicitors have traditionally been the people who research cases and barristers have traditionally had rights of audiences in court.

     There are 60,000 solicitors in the U.K. and 6,000 barristers of which 4,000 are currently working in London. Solicitors have traditionally run the business side of the law profession running offices. Solicitors duties can include interviewing witnesses and issuing writs, conveyancing, divorce proceedings, drawing up wills and last testaments, advocates in magistrates courts, commercial contracts, tax, immigration and employment issues. Solicitors may handle a cross-section of work however; there is a trend especially in London, for solicitors to specialise in one type of work. There has also been a recent tendency, for solicitors to form large partnerships, with as much as 100 partners however, they may not form companies. Some solicitors may also go into public employment, such as local government or into industry as legal advisors. Solicitors are partly regulated by both the courts and the Law Society since the Solicitors Act 1974 came into force. The Law Society is the controlling body for solicitors. It has always been a voluntary organisation and about 85% of practising solicitors are members. Under the Solicitors Act 1974 it makes training regulations relating to examinations and articles. It maintains the role of solicitors, has a teaching college and provides club facilities for its members. It is also responsible for the administration of the Legal Aid scheme in Civil proceedings. From 1980, to become a solicitor you needed to have, either a law degree, or a non-law degree; with the Common Professional Examination (CPE) and partII exams or the legal practice course, a 2- year training contract and satisfy the Law Society as to his/her good character and suitability to practice as a solicitor. This basically means that after finishing university a would be solicitor has to endure another four years of work at a possible cost to them of £11,000 it is due to this extended period in education that a lawyer is held in such high esteem.

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      Until the change made under the Courts & Legal Services Act 1990, barristers with a few exceptions, the only people allowed to advocate in the superior superior courts which were, The House of Lords, The Court Of appeal, The High Court, The Crown Courts and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. However, this has now changed, and there is increasing competition between barristers and solicitors for this work. Barristers do some paperwork, drafting legal documents and given written opinions on legal problems. Barristers are usually engaged by solicitors on behalf of a client, and work on a cab rank ...

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