Solicitors In The UK
Information About Solicitors In The UK
A solicitor is a term for lawyer in many common law jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada that may make a distinction regarding the type of work done; it is also a title used by government attorneys in some government agencies in the United States.
In some common law countries the legal profession is split between solicitors who represent and advise clients, and a barrister who is retained by a solicitor to advocate in a legal hearing or to render a legal opinion. There is no such split in Canada, some Australian jurisdictions, New Zealand, and the United States.
In some Australian states and in Canada the legal profession is “fused”, which means that a lawyer can simultaneously be a solicitor, barrister, and proctor. Where the legal profession is not “fused” in cases where a trial is necessary a client must retain a solicitor, who will advise him or her and then may deliver a brief to a barrister to act on the solicitor’s instructions.
The United States never had a divided legal profession and had no need to fuse anything; outside government agencies the term “solicitor” is merely “one who solicits”, not a legal professional.
