#17277 - The Legal Professions - GDL English Legal System

The legal professions

• The three main professions in the legal field are:

  • solicitors;

  • barristers; and

  • legal executives.

• Solicitors

  • Work: traditionally solicitors focused primarily on paperwork but they are now doing more advocacy.

  • Qualifications and training: usually a university degree, followed by a conversion course if this was not in law.

  • Then they take the one-year Legal Practice Course and period of recognised training.

• Barristers

  • Work: traditionally advocacy, but they also do some paperwork.

  • Qualifications and training: usually a university degree, followed by a conversion course if this is not in law.

  • Then they take the one-year Bar Professional Training Course and one-year pupillage.

• Claims management companies

  • Claims management companies are companies that find people who have a legal problem and refer them to solicitors who pay the company on average 800 for the referral.

  • The payment of referral fees for personal injury claims was banned by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

• Quality assurance scheme for advocates

  • The regulators of the legal professions are together establishing a Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) to respond to concerns over the quality of advocacy in the courts.

• Complaints

  • The position of Legal Ombudsman was created in 2010 to investigate and resolve complaints about the service provided by lawyers.

• Background of barristers and solicitors

  • Barristers and solicitors have traditionally come from a very narrow social background, in terms of class, race and sex, and disabled people are under-represented.

  • They now come from a wider range of backgrounds, but there is a problem with promotion and retention of women and people from minority groups.

• Educational reform

  • In 2013 the Legal Education and Training Review published its report on the education and training requirements of the legal professions.

  • The aim is to ensure that the future system of education and training is effective and efficient in preparing legal service providers to meet the needs of consumers.

• The future of the professions

  • A number of Government reports have been published in recent years pushing for changes in the professions.

  • In July...