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How to become a Solicitor

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Career progression and salary expectations for a Solicitor

Junior Solicitor

| Up to £20,000

Solicitor

| Up to £70,000

The role of a Solicitor

What does a Solicitor do?

If interested in law, and want to pursue your passion as part of a career, becoming a solicitor could be the perfect career move for you.

A Solicitor's job is to provide advice on the law to clients and act on their behalf when they have law-related issues. You'd usually choose to specialise during training to work with members of the public, companies or groups of people.

There are lots of different responsibilities when you're a Solicitor, but these typically include:

Sitting with clients in interviews with professionals such as the police to provide legal advice
Appearing in court to instruct barristers or represent clients
Observing animal behaviour and checking for injuries
Carrying out research into individual cases to establish precedent
Keeping records pertaining to each client
Organising documents ready for your client's court appearance

Is a career as a Solicitor right for me?

Solicitors must be quite self-confident and able to clearly express themselves, so this might not be the best career if you like to be seen and not heard.

Sensitivity, empathy and trustworthiness are also essential traits to have for those looking to become a Solicitor.

A great Solicitor will be:

Able to work effectively under pressure
Good at multi-tasking to deal with more than one case at once
Persuasive orator
Fastidious about attention to detail
Good at explaining potentially complex matters to the layman
Tactful and able to keep clients' confidence

What's it like to be a Solicitor?

"I love being a solicitor because it's hugely varied - I never know what kind of case is going to walk through my door next. I also enjoy going to court and following legal practice that has been in place for centuries. It is challenging sometimes and people can be hard work when they're stressed and under pressure, but I find this exciting. There's also the fact that I'm giving people a voice who might otherwise not be heard, so it's a rewarding job too."

Get qualified as a Solicitor

There are currently two ways to qualify as a solicitor. If you’ve already started a law degree or GDL, you can take the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and carry out a training contract with a law firm. Or, if you have a degree in a subject other than law, you can take the newly introduced Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route, which includes Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).

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