Is it easier to become a barrister or solicitor?

breakeven

13

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

Reply 1

Norton1

18

Original post by breakeven

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

Solicitor

Solicitor for sure.

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.

Reply 4

SHABANA

16

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.

Reply 5

FMQ

5

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.

Reply 6

FMQ

5

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.

Reply 7

The West Wing

18

£16485 fees at CoL !!!

Reply 8

arbaaz

12

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 ...

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.

Reply 10

breakeven

OP

13

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.

Reply 11

The_Male_Melons

3

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.

Reply 12

jjarvis

14

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.

Reply 13

08rbut

10

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.

Reply 14

SHABANA

16

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.

Reply 15

FMQ

5

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.

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.

Reply 17

pleb1

5

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.

Reply 18

pleb1

5

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.

Reply 19

Wildcard

5

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 :tongue:

(edited 12 years ago)

Is it easier to become a barrister or solicitor?

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