[breakeven]

I know both are difficult but which is easier to obtain a career in?

[Norton1]

(Original post by breakeven)
I know both are difficult but which is easier to obtain a career in?

Solicitor

[ifstatement]

Solicitor for sure.

[littleone271]

Solicitor.

I think it also costs a lot more money to become a barrister for some reason.

My old law lecturer (at college) said she couldn't afford to do the course/training to be a barrister and I guess that's why barristers tend to be the posher of the two.

[SHABANA]

I think to become a barrister you need like £10,000 to do the post-grad course. Barristers are the ones in court, whereas solicitors aren't.

[FMQ]

(Original post by littleone271)
Solicitor.

I think it also costs a lot more money to become a barrister for some reason.

My old law lecturer (at college) said she couldn't afford to do the course/training to be a barrister and I guess that's why barristers tend to be the posher of the two.

PLEASE.

[FMQ]

(Original post by SHABANA)
I think to become a barrister you need like £10,000 to do the post-grad course. Barristers are the ones in court, whereas solicitors aren't.

£15,000. But you need close on that for the LPC too.

Not entirely true anymore re: court. I am a solicitor and in court 2 or 3 times a week.

[The West Wing]

£16485 fees at CoL !!!

[arbaaz]

both are very very very very very very very very very very very competitive. but barrister is harder route to take. need a first at undergraduate for a start. you have to be the top of the cream de la cream ...

[Crazy Jamie]

(Original post by FMQ)
Not entirely true anymore re: court. I am a solicitor and in court 2 or 3 times a week.

Depends on the practice area. But it is fair to say that as a general rule advocacy still plays a much more significant role in the practice of a barrister compared to a solicitor.

[breakeven]

I wouldn't really mind either profession as they both can include advocacy but solicitor has the edge because there are so many different areas to work in whilst being an advocate whereas the day to day tasks of a barrister are mainly paperwork and advocacy. There just seems to be more or a range for a solicitor, plus its the easier one out of the two.

[The_Male_Melons]

Solicitors can attend court- heard of a Solicitor advocate.

I think as time goes on, we may see the end of Barristers. In fact we might see two forms of lawyers- solicitors/barrister (a role combined) and Legal Execs.

[jjarvis]

(Original post by breakeven)
plus its the easier one out of the two.

Easier to get into, or easier to do? I'd agree with the first, not so sure about the latter--the skill sets are different and the requirements different.

[08rbut]

Hi, both my parents are solicitors(mum- divorce and family, dad- properties and wills, and I too would like to be a lawyer (I'm not being forced into it by my parents btw). i do not know whether i would be solicitor or barrister, and as much as it seems i can do whichever i would like as money seems not an issue with a fairly large income my parents are already slogging their guts on my brother and I's secondary education, and were already struggling to keep our decent standard of living, so I'm guessing a solicitor it will be if its cheaper.

[SHABANA]

(Original post by FMQ)
£15,000. But you need close on that for the LPC too.

Not entirely true anymore re: court. I am a solicitor and in court 2 or 3 times a week.

Oh right, but do you actually fight the case like a barrister? I was under the impression that solicitors don't present the case but pass it on to the barrister.

[FMQ]

(Original post by SHABANA)
Oh right, but do you actually fight the case like a barrister? I was under the impression that solicitors don't present the case but pass it on to the barrister.

Yes it is exactly the same. With the benefit that if it is your matter you have to do far less prep and know more clearly what you need to achieve, how to handle the client and other side as you have been dealing with them all along. You do however loose the benefit of a second opinion and capicity to fee earn in the office while travelling, waiting around etc

Traditionally barristers advocate but this is changing = particulary in the likes of Family and Crime where more solicitors are taking higher rights.

[Crazy Jamie]

(Original post by FMQ)
Traditionally barristers advocate but this is changing = particulary in the likes of Family and Crime where more solicitors are taking higher rights.

Just to add on to this, but it is also worth noting for the sake of completeness that you don't need higher rights to appear in Court and represent your client per se. Every solicitor has some rights of audience whether they have higher rights or not. As such even in practice areas such as civil you will find solicitors who are more than happy to deal with a Case Management Conference (CMC) rather than instruct a barrister, even if they ultimately will be instructing a barrister to handle the trial. So there is some scope for advocacy as a solicitor in most practice areas to one degree or another.

[pleb1]

I really love how certain people reply to these threads offering their opinions when they have absolutely no clue as to what the answer is. Some of you would be much better off simply writing 'I'm really sorry, but I just don't know,' rather than giving your misleading and baseless (albeit hilarious) answers.

[pleb1]

(Original post by littleone271)
Solicitor.

I think it also costs a lot more money to become a barrister for some reason.

My old law lecturer (at college) said she couldn't afford to do the course/training to be a barrister and I guess that's why barristers tend to be the posher of the two.

I mean, this is just embarrassing.

[Wildcard]

With the rise of arts students doing increasingly useless degrees, the supply of willing baristas has grown rapidly, and thus you're facing greater competition. Furthermore, in contrast to the hundreds of solicitor firms out there, baristas can only choose from one of the four Inns (Starbucks, Costa, Cafe Nero and - if you're very desperate - Coffee Republic).

Can you tell I'm incredibly bored of revising?

EDIT: I'm genuinely disappointed with myself. If I saw someone else post this, I'd groan, maybe even click the thumbs down, and yet I'm not deleting it because I fully deserve to be criticised