Daily Junction.mobi portalNews · January 16, 2025 · Daily Junction Editorial Team · 10 min
The UK legal profession is split into solicitors and barristers, with different roles, training, and rights of audience in court. Understanding the difference is essential if you need legal representation or are considering a legal career.
The UK legal profession is unique in dividing lawyers into two distinct branches: solicitors and barristers. Solicitors provide legal advice, handle paperwork, and represent clients in lower courts, while barristers specialize in court advocacy (representing clients in court) and provide specialist legal opinions. There are around 160,000 solicitors and 17,000 barristers in England and Wales, with solicitors making up the majority of the legal profession. The traditional division—solicitors handle client relationships and case preparation, barristers handle court advocacy—has blurred since the 1990s, with solicitors gaining rights of audience in higher courts (Crown Court, High Court, Court of Appeal) and some barristers working directly with clients without a solicitor intermediary. Understanding the difference between solicitors and barristers, their training, and how they work together is essential if you need legal representation or are considering a legal career.
Solicitors are lawyers who:
Solicitors work in:
There are around 160,000 solicitors in England and Wales, according to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as of November 2024.
Solicitors' work varies depending on their area of practice:
This is the highest-paid area of solicitor work, with newly qualified solicitors at large City firms earning £100,000-£150,000.
Conveyancing is a major part of high street solicitors' work.
Family law is often legally aided (if domestic violence is involved), but most family work is now privately paid due to legal aid cuts.
Criminal solicitors are often legal aid funded, but legal aid pay rates are low.
Personal injury work is often done on a no win, no fee basis (conditional fee agreement).
This is a staple of high street solicitors' work.
To become a solicitor in England and Wales, you must:
The SQE replaced the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in 2021. It has two parts:
You can take the SQE without completing a law degree or GDL, but most candidates do.
You must complete two years of work experience in a legal environment (law firm, in-house legal team, law centre). This can be done before, during, or after the SQE.
The SRA assesses whether you are of good character (no serious criminal convictions, no dishonesty).
Once you have passed the SQE, completed QWE, and passed the character assessment, you are admitted as a solicitor and can practice.
Solicitors have automatic rights of audience in:
To represent clients in higher courts (Crown Court, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court), solicitors must qualify as solicitor-advocates by:
Around 6,000 solicitors have higher rights of audience, according to the SRA. However, most solicitors instruct barristers for higher court advocacy rather than doing it themselves.
Barristers are specialist lawyers who:
Barristers are self-employed (not employees of law firms) and work from chambers (shared offices where barristers rent space and share administrative staff). Barristers are instructed by solicitors (or, since 2004, directly by clients in some cases).
There are around 17,000 barristers in England and Wales, according to the Bar Council as of October 2024.
Barristers specialize in:
Barristers represent clients in court, including:
Barristers are trained in advocacy (persuasive speaking, cross-examination, legal argument) and spend most of their time in court.
Barristers provide written legal opinions (advice) on complex legal issues, such as:
Solicitors instruct barristers to provide opinions when they need specialist expertise.
Barristers draft complex legal documents, such as:
To become a barrister in England and Wales, you must:
Same as for solicitors:
The Bar Practice Course (formerly the Bar Professional Training Course, BPTC) is a 1-year full-time course teaching:
The BPC costs around £15,000-£20,000 (plus living costs), making it expensive.
Pupillage is a 1-year apprenticeship with an experienced barrister (a "pupil supervisor"). It has two stages:
Pupillage is highly competitive—there are around 400-500 pupillages per year for 2,000-3,000 applicants. Pupils are paid a minimum of £20,000 per year (set by the Bar Council), but many chambers pay more (£40,000-£60,000 at commercial sets).
After completing the BPC, you are "called to the Bar" by one of the four Inns of Court (Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple, Gray's Inn). This is a formal ceremony, but you cannot practice until you complete pupillage.
After pupillage, you apply for tenancy (a permanent place in chambers). Tenancy is competitive, and not all pupils are offered tenancy. If you do not get tenancy, you may:
Barristers have automatic rights of audience in all courts, including:
This is the main advantage of barristers over solicitors.
Barristers are self-employed and paid per case (not a salary). They are instructed by solicitors (or clients) and paid a brief fee (for the case) plus refreshers (daily fees for multi-day trials).
Barristers' earnings vary widely:
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