There are also accelerated degree options, which can be taken if you have a non-law first undergraduate degree. Students on the Scottish law degree at either the University of Dundee or the University of Strathclyde can take enough English law modules to earn a dual-qualified law degree, enabling them to progress to qualification in England and Wales or Scotland.
To qualify as a solicitor, individuals must complete a two-year traineeship. It is possible to be admitted as a solicitor after one year of training especially useful if the trainee is to appear in court on behalf of clients ; but normally, at the end of the two years — and provided that all conditions have been met — the trainee is admitted as a fully qualified solicitor.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online. The LawCareers. However, positionsof responsibility areoftenconcernedwithkeeping hierarchies inorder and thus couldbedescribed asmanagement training. For this reason, they maybemorehighly valuedby firmsof solicitors whowill haveclear and rigidstructures for their employees. Again, the fact that abarristermust regularly standupand talk incourtmeans that thisskill is more important at theBar but it isstill akeypart of practisingasasolicitor.
Sociability The lawisasociableprofession inwhichyou canexpect tomeet largenumbersof people fromallwalksof life. Crucially, youmust beable toget onwithyour clientsandother lawyers withwhomyouwork. The legal community is intimateandsometimesclose-knit; it helps to beable toget onand interactwellwithothers.
Solicitors generally have a more definite career structure, but after a certain point it becomes dog eat dog at many firms. Intellectual curiosity In reality, the area of law in which you end up will be the greatest driver of the intellectual content of your work.
However, if you want to be a serious analyst and provider of opinions on heavyweight points of law, then the Bar may be for you. Finances Quite clearly, it is right and proper that a career in the lawshould be available to all. That said, the relevant course fees especially at postgraduate. Before you rack up this kind of bill, be realistic about your job prospects.
Enthusiasm for dressing up Do you like wearing gowns and wigs? Do you feel that panto should be staged all year round? The Bar values tradition above virtually any other calling and the recognisable outfits reflect this. Many will be involved in something socially useful ie, pro bono. Further reading Solicitors — www. Barristers — www. In these sections you can read about the day-to-day life and work of solicitors and barristers at various firms and chambers. Reality check: Thedecision as towhich strand suits youbest rests on a number of factors concerning your abilities, temperament and — darewe say it — financial circumstances.
This table illustrates some of the differences between the two branches of the profession, including as they relate to demographics, working environments, career progression and salary. Solicitors As of April , there were , practising solicitors. The total number of solicitors on the roll was , Mostly employed in private law firms, so receive a regular monthly salary.
Work mainly with individuals, companies and barristers. Engage more in ongoing advisory and one-to-one client work. Aspire to become a partner ie, part ownership of firm and entitlement to a percentage of its profits. Barristers In , there were 17, practising barristers, Of those, 13, were self- employed.
People from ethnic minority backgrounds make up Mostly self-employed, so receive irregular but often substantial fees. Work mainly with solicitors and other barristers. Chambers and court-based. Engage more in one-off advocacy ie, court cases. There are many different types of lawyer and paths into the legal profession. Use the diagram below to plot out your route into law. For more on the chartered legal executive timetable, see p For more on legal apprenticeships, pick up a copy of The Law Apprenticeships Guide As aspiring lawyers, you should identify the ways in which your preferred practice area has been affected by the pandemic, as well as the impact on businesses, clients, the legal profession and how lawyers work.
Why did cybercrime increase, what impact did this have on businesses and what can businesses do to protect themselves from cyber-attacks going forward? However, as many businesses had to close their doors during lockdowns, the UK high street became a ghost town. As well as the immediate financial burden on the retail sector, firms have been exploring the wider impact that covid had on commercial lease terms and how businesses can better prepare for the future.
With the daily train commute suddenly replaced with rolling out of bed for many, rail use ultimately fell last year. As restrictions ease in the UK, the future of office work remains uncertain with some businesses encouraging employees back into the office, others taking a hybrid approach and some continuing to work remotely for the foreseeable. One change to UK rail came into place on 21 June , which enabled UK railway passengers to purchase flexible season tickets, with additional pay-as-you-go options.
This chapter examines the key issues facing the UK legal profession of which future lawyers should be aware, as well as headline- grabbing cases and mergers. Lawyers interact with companies, national and local government, institutions and individuals in almost every area of life, so it is no surprise that wider economic and political issues affecting their clients often have a knock-on effect on their work.
Of these, six key issues are pressurising the sector and driving profession-wide change in various ways. Covid At the start of the pandemic, the Coronavirus Act was published, giving the government powers to implement emergency measures to deal with covid, including national lockdowns.
The restrictions imposed were subsequently challenged in Dolan and others v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
However, permission to bring a judicial reviewwas denied. Meanwhile, theLegal ServicesBoard LSB isdue touse itspowers tocoordinate technological innovation in thesector to increase and improveaccess to legal services.
The roleof traineesolicitors isalreadybeing adapted toembrace technology. Junior solicitors and traineeshave traditionallydraftedsimple contractsand revieweddocuments, but this type ofwork isbecoming increasinglyautomated. Now, traineesaremore likely tomanagetheprocessof referringthe initial document reviewtoa thirdparty thatdoes theworkat a lowercost, undertaking asecondary reviewof thedocument later. It is likely that traineeswill be interactingwithAI in the future.
Management skillsandanunderstanding of technology—andhowto resolve technical problems—arenowincreasingly important skills to showcase inbothan interviewandtrainingcontract. That said, theLSBhasurged that regulators pushing for changeshouldalsobeawareof the risks involved, which includeensuringprogression doesnot isolateor leavebehind thosewith low digital capabilityor literacy, andbalancing the ethical and regulatorychallengesof technologies suchasAI against their advantages.
Access to justice Access to justice is anongoingconcern following years of financial cuts. Thepast yearwas no different — in fact, thecoronavirus pandemic introducedadditional disruption. As nationwide lockdownswere implemented, courts had to quickly adapt tohearings takingplace remotely, or insteadbeingpostponed.
Delays tohearings meant that thealreadyoverwhelmingbacklogof caseswas exacerbatedandcontinues to remain an issueasweemerge fromrestrictions.
According to theLegal NeedsSurvey, it is estimated that 3. But what else will the rail industry need to do to adapt? Tech and innovation Advances inAI andautomationcreatenew revolutionarypossibilities andchallenges for the legal profession. It is recognising the evolving nature of that relationship with a longer and more rigorous PTP from and preparing itself for the future.
Giving the law practice the option to charge out for work done by their practice trainee eases the burden of taking on trainees especially for smaller law practices. It might even encourage more practitioners to become supervising solicitors.
Furthermore, as clients are generally cost-conscious, they might be willing to pay for work done by a practice trainee in lieu of for example, an associate doing the same job. The important touchstone however is that it must be clearly explained to the client in advance that that a practice trainee will be apprenticing under supervision on the file for which the client will be charged.
The Letter of Engagement should clearly and transparently explain this and also set out the basis for the charge which should be rational e. If the client being so apprised, and agreeable for the practice trainee to contribute to the file, it will be a potentially win-win-win outcome for all three parties — the client, the supervising solicitor and the practice trainee.
For the foregoing reasons, the Council is of the view that a rigid policy cast in stone of not charging out for work done by a practice trainee belongs to antiquity.
While there is no denying the purity of the apprenticeship and the fundamental nature of the training contract which is training, the time has come to recognise the dignity and value of our trainees during the PTP in a more meaningful way. Taking on practice trainees can be a costly affair for some smaller law practices. The benefit to the supervising solicitor is a higher standard of work from the practice trainee and a boost in the efficiency levels of the firm.
It recognises the dignity and worth of the practice trainee as a valuable team member and the value of their contribution.
It could also secondarily, engender a trusting relationship between the practice trainee and the law practice. From , the 12 month PTP allows supervising solicitors a much longer period to transmit knowledge, skills and even expertise to their practice trainees. These 12 months afford an invaluable runway to practice trainees to develop their skills and be an integral part of the legal profession.
It increases flexibility of choices available to the client. The charge out rates of a Senior Counsel, Partner, Associate and practice trainee are different. It is important to list the charge out rates upfront so the client is aware of the difference from the outset. The client cannot subsequently remonstrate that he or she is dealing with a practice trainee instead of a Partner as the client would have gone into the engagement with eyes wide open.
Of course, in some cases, the client may expect a waiver of any charge for the value, work or time of a practice trainee but this is a function of market economics and the bargaining power between client and solicitor for individual matters.
They are not orphaned, economic digits handpicked to provide free labour under the guise of practice training only to be discarded at will after the end of the practice traineeship. Practice trainees belong. If it is explained clearly and transparently to the client that the practice trainee will be part of the team managing the file, this situation should not practically arise. It is the responsibility of the supervising solicitor to make this crystal clear to the client in the Letter of Engagement and during preliminary discussions with the client.
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