If you’re thinking of becoming a solicitor or you’re looking to enlist the services of a solicitor to help you with a case or legal issue, you may wonder exactly what they are qualified to do. A solicitor will have studied incredibly hard to receive their qualification and many have a particular area of law they want to specialise in once qualified.
Here are some of the different job roles of a solicitor:
Voluntary work
Some solicitors choose to use some of their spare time representing people who cannot afford good legal representation themselves. This is something a lot of solicitors do as a way of ‘giving back’ to the community using their wealth of expertise and broad skill set.
Representing the rights of people
Some solicitors specialize in compensation claims and cases which relate to human rights. A lot more people qualified in law have found themselves working within the compensation industry. This is because law is a very difficult industry to get into and the expanding compensation culture has meant more jobs for qualified solicitors struggling to get a foot on the ladder. This particular sector is more geared towards people who have been badly treated by private or public services.
Personal
A large proportion of solicitors work within the personal sector. Local solicitors will focus on a broad range of services rather than city based commercial firms which tend to specialise in big money services like corporate transactions and corporate disputes. For example if you live in Sheffield, a solicitor in Sheffield is more than likely going to have personal law expertise than commercial expertise because those skills are most relevant and in demand locally.
Personal law services include things like; will services and probate, property services, divorce and prenuptial agreements and personal injury claims.
Commercial
This is where a lot of the big money is in law, especially if you can represent large corporations worth multi millions.
Commercial solicitors are also critical for the healthy growth of small businesses who need help setting up correctly and protecting themselves from any future issues before they may arise. It is crucial small businesses are set up legally because they simply could not afford an expensive claim both financially and in relation to their fragile brand image.
Commercial lawyers also help with the sale of a business which can be tricky and complicated depending on the financial affairs of the company and it’s structure.
Public Solicitor
Some solicitors are employed by the state to represent criminals who cannot afford representation. They will more often than not work on small scale cases such as petty crime, probation breaches and community orders.
Office of the Official Solicitor
This is a governing body run by the state which represents people who lack the mental capacity to run their own personal affairs. These people will also live without a relative or willing person known to them who is willing or able to represent them in this way.