A solicitor is a lawyer who practices in all the jurisdictions worldwide and is legally qualified to practice law in those jurisdictions. To be legally defined as a solicitor, an individual should have legally-defined qualifications, which range from one jurisdiction to the other, and then be enabled to practice legally there as such. While lawyers are licensed in their jurisdictions, solicitors do not have that same license. Therefore, they are not considered lawyers in the jurisdictions where they work.
The solicitors are known as the solicitors. In Scotland, the solicitors are known as the barristers. In England, as in most of the world, the principal legal practitioner is the lawyer. However, there are separate legal practitioners, who are known as the barrister general, and the solicitor general.
What is a solicitor?
The solicitor is considered the person who advises or represents a client and is authorized to give legal advice. They are also responsible for representing the principal, or the attorney general, in criminal cases. The only regulating authority is the Legal Complaints Service, which is responsible for ensuring that complaints against the solicitors are dealt with appropriately.
As compared to other parts of the world, solicitors are regulated by the Legal Complaints Service only when they represent a client in a criminal case. Several organizations help solicitors in getting accredited and are known as the Regulation Authorities. They help the solicitors make sure that they are adhering to the law’s high standards and can help them maintain an appropriate relationship with their clients.
The solicitors, in comparison with the barristers, have considerably less complex duties. They do not carry out the critical analysis that is required in cases involving complicated legal work. Barristers are permitted to ask questions about a case’s facts but cannot question any witnesses or make oral arguments on the legal proceedings. However, there are differences between the two professions. For instance, barristers are permitted to give some legal advice to their clients.
What are the responsibilities of a solicitor?
The role and responsibilities of a solicitor are set out in the rules of court. The solicitors are known as the advocates or lawyers, while the barristers are known as the defendants or plaintiffs in a court of law. Both of them offer legal advice to their clients, either in the form of advice regarding the courtroom or offer specific types of legal advice on how a case should be handled. They prepare documents and court reports, as required. Also, the solicitors can draft letters of demand, complaints, and other official paperwork. Furthermore, they may also draft witness statements, make an appearance at court, draft written reports and briefs, draft contracts, and tend court.
Many solicitors also have private law practitioners, who deal with narrower aspects of a client’s case. For instance, a solicitor may specialize in family law or criminal law. Other areas of the law include corporate law, business law, contract law, and so on.
There are some differences between a solicitor and a barrister. A solicitor has the authority to give legal advice. He or she can do this orally in court or by filing documents in court. A barrister, on the other hand, provides legal advice only. As the name suggests, he or she is not a solicitor, but a barrister represents clients in court proceedings, before the court, or represents a group of clients in a law society proceeding.
If you need a solicitor, call SMR Law in Rockhampton.
