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• Barristers

• Solicitors

Barristers and Solicitors

Barristers and solicitors are lawyers who form the two main branches of the legal profession. Barristers form a far smaller part of the profession, in that there are currently around 17,000 practising barristers as compared with around 163,000 practising solicitors, so barristers make up around 10% of the currently practising legal profession. 

Across this group, barristers and solicitors will specialise in particular areas of practice, from family law to civil law, civil law covering the broadest spectrum, from personal injury & clinical negligence to housing, construction, commercial law and employment law. 

Only a small percentage of all lawyers will specialise in crime, which many other lawyers choose to avoid, not least due to the low rates of remuneration for cases funed by legal aid. That said, for many, the idea of using your skills to represent people facing the most serious criminal charges is exactly what being a lawyer is all about.

What roles do they play in the criminal justice system?

Barristers and solicitors are lawyers who work closely together in criminal cases.

Things have changed a bit over time, but the traditional difference between solicitors and barristers was the role they played in the criminal justice system.

Solicitors are traditionally the first port of call for anyone facing a criminal prosecution and often have high street premises. They will take your instructions and advise on the best course of action in your case. Depending on the nature and complexity of the case, this may or may not involve obtaining advice or representation at court from a barrister.

If you are arrested and questioned at a police station, you have the right to ask for a solicitor (or a trained legal representative employed by a solicitor) to give advice and often to attend the police station to assist you,

If your case proceeds to court, your solicitor may choose to instruct a barrister to represent you. Barristers both prosecute and defend at court, particularly in Crown Court cases.

On this page you can read more about the the differences, similarities and usual working practices of barristers and solicitors in the criminal justice system.

Defence-Barrister.co.uk | Making Sense of the Criminal Courts