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Why don't Solicitors have rights of audience?

In higher courts but barristers do? What is the reason?

And if they were given higher rights of audience, what would be the pros and cons?

Reply 1

TheDefiniteArticle

Well, remember that solicitors can qualify as solicitor advocates which gives them rights of audience. And the difference largely is the professional qualification route taken - different routes entail different areas of competency.

re: higher rights of audience, it may pay to consider the effects of a unified legal profession, perhaps looking at some states where this exists.

Reply 2

KJ90

Original post by nohaynada

In higher courts but barristers do? What is the reason?

And if they were given higher rights of audience, what would be the pros and cons?

Mostly for tradition. Looking back in history, solicitors were always deemed to be of a lesser standard than the barristers and tended to do all of the grunt work, whereas the more intellectual arguing of law was left to the barristers.

Obviously, times have changed and the most intelligent students go to both parts of the profession.