The Legal Profession: Understanding the Role of a Solicitor
Unless you have a decent understanding of the legal system, it can all appear a little confusing. It’s so complicated that there are many different roles within the system, such as judges, solicitors, barristers and lawyers.
There needs to be many different roles because no single person can understand the entirety of the law; it needs to be broken down into sections. Here, we’re going to consider the role of a solicitor. If you ever encounter the legal system in your day-to-day life, your first port of call is usually the solicitor, so it makes sense that you understand what they are and what they do.
What Is a Solicitor?
The first thing to note is that a solicitor has certain qualifications. They’re not self-appointed, but instead go to university or college to learn to be a solicitor.
A solicitor is someone in the legal profession that provides legal advice to clients (clients can be anyone from a large corporate entity to your Nan). They deal directly with the client. So, if you even need help with a legal issue, the chances are that you'll engage the services of a solicitor. They will do plenty of research outside of the court, to help build a case for you to pass on to your lawyer, who will represent you in court. Sometimes, your solicitor is your lawyer, because all lawyers are also solicitors. However, not all solicitors are lawyer.
When Might You Need a Solicitor?
In the UK, there are many reasons why you might need to engage a solicitor. In fact, they’re implicit in many of the things that we take for granted. For instance, if you work for an employer you will have had to sign a contract (if you didn’t, it could be illegal – in which case you should talk to a solicitor!). That contract will have been written and drawn up by a solicitor. However, they’re involved in many different things. Here’s a brief list of some of the things that a solicitor will deal with:
Conveyancing: when you sell or buy a property, it is important that you do it the correct way as outlined by the law. If you don’t, you might find severe problems further down the line. Conveyancing solicitors draw up contracts between buyers and sellers.
Divorce and family matters: when people get divorced, they appoint a solicitor to help divide the assets. They also deal with other issues, such as visitation rights.
Personal injury: it’s becoming increasingly the norm to sue people after an injury. Solicitors establish whether there is a litigate claim, and if so, help to build a case to take to court.
Wills: wills are complex. They involve complex laws, such as inheritance laws. A solicitor will help you to draw up a will that is legal and that addresses your concerns.
How Do You Choose a Solicitor?
You should think of a solicitor as a business relationship, and so you should choose one with which you’re comfortable. However, there is one thing to note: choose a local solicitor. For instance, if you live in Preston, you should choose solicitors in Preston. This is because it’s much easier to build the case. You know where they are and can get hold of them in an emergency. Not choosing solicitors in Preston, when you live Preston, can mean a lot of added expense in travel arrangements. Not to mention, that it will cost you more as they will charge you for their traveling times.
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