Barristers and Solicitors

February 1, 2010

Barrister is a lawyer who practices in common law and this profession is a split profession. Another split profession is the job of a solicitor who deal with any legal issues apart from conducting several legal proceedings in the court. No individual can hold the position of a barrister and solicitor. But only a single profession that is either of a barrister or a solicitor can be held. In countries like Canada, New Zealand and in some of the Australian states, lawyers can hold the title of both barrister and solicitor. In United Kingdom and Ireland, the practice of split professions is present as barristers and solicitors. Solicitors will appoint barristers on some instances to provide special advice or to participate in an expert discussion.


The difference between barrister and a solicitor as per the England and Wales is that a solicitor is an attorney which means that they can represent a client for any legal purpose, such as signing of contracts or carry on litation discussions or by making applications to the court about litigation or any such other matters. A barrister is not an attorney and mostly it is forbidden either by law or by professional rules to conduct litation process. This means that only the advice of solicitor, a barrister can contact and can represent client in a court. This once again states a fact that the differences in two professions of barrister and a solicitor are wide and lengthy.

In some of the countries like United States, there is no distinction between a barrister and a solicitor and attorneys are permitted to conduct and participate in all kind of litigations and possess authority to appear before courts when they have been admitted to the bar. A barrister will always or in general represents litigations of clients in the capacity of an advocate before the courts of a particular jurisdiction. Therefore a barrister plays a role of a legal professional as per the requirements of civil law jurisdiction which deal with appearances while conducting trials or for pleading cases in the courts.

Barristers will always play a major role in draft of pleadings and reviewing evidences and also in preparing for trials. Barristers possess more special and expertise knowledge in case-laws and in precedents. When there is an unsual point discussion in terms of law, they will always seek the opinion of a counsel on a particular issue. Now in the modern days, in many countries, the solicitor services are most wanted due to the fact that the solutions to litigations and advices are so important that common people do not know how to deal with legal problems. In such instance, only a solicitor, advocate or a barrister can take up the issue and find a way out for the legal problem.


The length and breadth of law is so wide and extensive that any issue can be solved under the roof and on the control panel of law. But the profession of barrister and solicitor is not an easy profession to practice as it requires lot of knowledge in legal profession which has several enactments, provisions, procedures in respect of both public and private law.

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