Legal professions in England and Wales

Becoming a barrister requires membership of one of the four Inns of Court in London. Namely, Lincoln’s Inn, Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, and Middle Temple. The Inns provide support for barristers and student barristers through a range of educational activities, lunching and dining facilities, access to common rooms and gardens, and provision of various grants and scholarships. One of the key functions of the Inns is their responsibility for calling barristers to the Bar. Anyone wishing to train for the Bar must join one of the Inns and it is the Inns alone which have the power to call a student to the Bar. Alongside this responsibility, the Inns also have a role in administering disciplinary tribunals to deal with more serious complaints against barristers.[[2]

Members can be lawyers or judges and moreover prospective barristers. All four Inns have the Council of Legal Education in common which organizes education and exams of the affiliated law students. The Council of Legal Education and the Board of Examiners jointly regulate entry to the Legal Profession. The role of the Council is to determine the requirements for admission, to approve law courses and practical legal training providers, and to assess the qualifications of overseas practitioners.

The Board determines the eligibility of individual applicants for admission and provides the certificate upon which the Supreme Court relies when admitting an applicant to practice as a lawyer.[3] For studies at an Inn an applicant needs to provide a comprehensive A-level, a good educational background, and an unblemished reputation. During three years of education a student needs to pass two main exams: The first part is theoretical, which university graduates usually are spared. The second part consists of practical courses and is an assumption and obligation for becoming a barrister (Bar Vocational Course). After calling to the bar, a young barrister has to pass a yearlong pupillage with an experienced barrister before being allowed to practice law self-employed.

The main actions of barristers involve going to court, especially to the higher courts. They make speeches in front of the court, they write briefs, they give legal advice, and they provide expert opinion for difficult cases. Usually they use briefs of professional clients, solicitors, and accountants. The barristers analyze the briefs and bring the results to the court. At the moment, there are approximately 10,000 barristers in England and Wales. Most of them have their offices in London. Their elite still form the Queen's Counsels, of which many of the judges for higher courts are chosen. The Queen's Counsels are publicly known for wearing silk gowns.

Contact between a barrister and a client is now permitted.

Solicitors have their own professional association which is called Law Society, established in 1826. The Law Society is authorized by act of law, by the law chancellor and a few other high-ranking judges to regulate the education and admission of solicitors. Law Society made an effort to raise the standards of the solicitor profession in order to improve its reputation. Since 19th century the reputation of solicitor is nearly the same as of the barrister. General admissions to enter the Law Society for expectant solicitor are similar to the admissions of barristers. General qualification for university entrance is required; a bachelor degree from a university is usually required.

In order to become a solicitor, trainees usually take a three year undergraduate law degree (LL.B.) followed by a one year Legal Practice Course and then, assuming the examinations have been passed, are employed for two years as trainee solicitors, a form of apprenticeship until about 1990 called articled clerk. Those with a degree other than in law must complete a law conversion (graduate diploma in law) one year course after their degree and before their legal practice course (so 5 years of full time study rather than 4) but still followed by 2 years working as a trainee solicitor in a firm of solicitors. There are some schemes permitting qualification without an undergraduate degree but they are the exception, not the rule. From 2022 new post-graduate examinations are planned for those who have not started qualification down the current path under which graduates will need to pass examinations known as SQEI and SQEII either before or during a 2 year period of recognised training similar to the training contract. This is not yet in force. Under the current system after being successful in the examinations and completing satisfactorily the two year training contract, the candidates may request the Master of the Rolls to admit them as solicitors whereupon they become Solicitors of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.

The field of action of a solicitor is versatile and cannot be easily displayed. A solicitor stays in direct contact to his clients and gives them personally legal advice. Clients can be members of the public, businesses, voluntary bodies, charities etc.[4] A solicitor prepares the lawsuit for his clients and represents his parties personally in the lower courts (magistrates' courts, county courts and tribunal). In cases on higher courts (High Court or higher) where a barrister is necessary, a solicitor acts as an agent.[5] Moreover, solicitor's practice is comparable to notary public. Dealing with conveyancing as well as trust businesses, developing last wills, and administrating estates are parts of solicitors' practice.

Furthermore a solicitor oversees contract conclusion and consulting in various fields of law like tax, competition, insurance, and company law. Profitable real estate businesses makes over 50% of his income .

Currently there are approximately 100,000 solicitors in England and Wales. 25% are in an employer-employee relationship at companies, bigger solicitor offices or administrations. 75% are self-employed .

A sole practitioner works on his or her own, has no partners, and usually handles smaller cases, most of which dealing with subjects such as family law, employment law, and housing law.

The English legal system requires judges, except for the honorary Justices of the peace at magistrates courts, to first practise for several years as a barrister or solicitor with a good reputation. County-court judges are appointed by the Crown with the suggestion of Lord Chancellor. They have to practise as a barrister for at least seven years before they can be suggested. To practise in the High Court, judges need to be suggested by the Lord Chancellor and need to be barristers for a minimum of ten years. Judges at the Court of Appeal are appointed by the Queen as recommended by the Prime Minister; they have to have experiences as a barrister for 15 years. For the appointment of judges of the House of Lords, it is the same case; moreover, they are appointed for Life Peers.

In order to become a Law Lord, a judge needs to practise for at least 15 years as a barrister or for two years in a high judgeship. The Prime Minister also recommends candidates for Lord Chancellor, Lord Chief Justice, and the Master of the Rolls to the Queen.

The Attorney-General advises the Crown in legal issues and acts as plaintiff for the Crown in very important cases. The Attorney-General is a member of the House of Commons and is usually barrister with high reputation. This is true as well for the solicitor-general, who is the agent of the Attorney-General. Both belong to the ruling party in the parliament. They are appointed by the Prime Minister and must abdicate in case of change in government.[6]

In general the Director of Public Prosecutions gives advice to police and other law enforcement agencies and is not a political civil servant. To become a Director of Public Prosecutions, applicants need to have at least ten years of practical experience.