difference between a Lawyer and a Solicitor
What is the difference between a lawyer and a solicitor?
Lawyer is a generic term for a qualified advisor who has been trained in the law and can represent clients.
A Solicitor is a qualified lawyer who is licensed to practice law in England and Wales. Solicitors tend to handle out of court matters; if you need to take your case to court you will need to have a Barrister represent you. The boundaries between solicitors and barristers are evolving and some solicitors are able now to represent you in court.
Counsel is the legal word for a barrister who is representing you in court.
You can always confirm with the Law Society of England and Wales that the solicitor you have chosen to work with specialises in a particular field via accreditation.
Accreditation
Having a law firm or individual act on your behalf implies a level of trust. In that trust you have an expectation that the person acting on your behalf has the relevant qualifications and accreditation to do so.
Accreditation is a scheme membership which shows that a firm or individual has a special competence in a particular area of the law. If you are making an enquiry you could confirm with the firm that the person dealing with your case has demonstrated certified expertise in the personal injury accreditation scheme.
The law society operates these accreditation schemes to promote high standards , to enable the public to identify lawyers with proven competency and for law firms to have recognisable standards.
Legal Qualifications
The qualifications that a lawyer has after their name will give you an idea of the variety of qualifications they hold and the amount of years they have trained for their position in the firm, this can be anything between three to seven years.
A lawyer will have a Degree usually a law degree Bachelor of Laws LLB this is an graduate qualification or Graduate Diploma in Paralegal Practice PPC. There is also the higher entry level of LLM which is the Master Degree in Law which is not so frequently taken. When you have this qualification you can apply for membership to the bar or law society, acceptance will be subject to completion of professional examinations
A GDL – Graduate Diploma in Law – is a qualification for non- law graduates. The graduate needs the GDL or LLB course before you can move on to the LPC
To further the qualification the LPC – Legal Practise Course – will need to be taken and possibly the BPTC – Bar Professional training Course as a barrister. There is an alternative the ILEX the Institute of Legal Executives which is an alternative to the university courses.