The key difference between barrister and solicitor is that barrister is a lawyer who has been called to the bar and is qualified to plead cases in the higher courts, whereas solicitor is an attorney who advises clients on legal matters, draws up legal documents, represents clients in certain lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to present in the higher courts.
A barrister and a solicitor are two other nomenclatures of a lawyer depending upon the nature of their training, role and wages. There is not much of a difference between the two when it comes to educational qualifications needed to undergo training. Both of them need a basic degree in law to undergo the next level of training.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. Who is Barrister
3. Who is Solicitor
4. Side by Side Comparison – Barrister vs Solicitor in Tabular Form
5. Summary
Who is a Barrister?
Barrister, also called barrister-at-law, is a lawyer who has been called to the bar and is qualified to plead cases in the higher courts. Although both barristers and solicitors have a similar academic background, there is a difference in their training and practice.
Barrister’s training is for a period of one year and it is practical in nature. The course is termed as Bar Vocational Course. The course helps the aspirant in honing his skills in the art of advocacy so that he would be in a position to handle both civil and criminal litigations with ease. An aspiring barrister has to spend twelve months of practice with a senior barrister. After this period, the barrister becomes fully eligible to practice on his own. There is no big advantage in terms of salary as it is very meagre indeed. This is the major disadvantage of being a trainee barrister under the tutelage of a senior barrister.
Who is a Solicitor?
There is a marked difference between a barrister and a solicitor when it comes to the nature of the training they receive after their academics A barrister is expected to join one of the four Inns of Court, namely, Grayi’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, the Middle Temple and the Inner Temple. After that, he should attend twelve dinners or weekend residential courses.
The training course of a solicitor is a bit different from that of a barrister. He would complete a vocational course called the Legal Practice Course, which pays a stipend. It is a course for the duration of one year. The course is practical in the sense that the aspirant would be imparted training in the practice of advocacy. He would be made to learn a variety of skills and techniques in the art of advocacy. They would learn how to advocate before courts during the period of one year. Exercises in drafting business and solicitor accounts are given to the aspirants during training. There is everything demanding about this course and hence it is a must that such of those desiring to become solicitors should complete the training period of one year. The aspiring solicitor also should undergo training under a fully qualified solicitor. After the training period is over he can become a practising solicitor. Solicitors are normally employed by a firm or a local authority.
What is the Difference Between Barrister and Solicitor?
The key difference between barrister and solicitor is that barrister is a lawyer who has been called to the bar and is qualified to plead cases in the higher courts, whereas solicitor is an attorney who advises clients on legal matters, draws up legal documents, represents clients in certain lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to present in the higher courts. Furthermore, members of the public can approach a solicitor to seek his advice. A barrister, on the contrary, can be called upon to prosecute in civil litigation and to defend in another. The client and the solicitor are bound by a contractual relationship while a barrister should be happy with paperwork.
Summary – Barrister vs Solicitor
The key difference between barrister and solicitor is that barrister is a lawyer who has been called to the bar and is qualified to plead cases in the higher courts, whereas solicitor is an attorney who advises clients on legal matters, draws up legal documents, represents clients in certain lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to present in the higher courts.
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