What Are the Main Types of Lawyers?

You can become a lawyer if you have good communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills and interested in justice and the law.  In the UK, a lawyer is a person who specialises in specific legal fields, advises on legal matters, and represents clients in court. Below are the main legal fields and lawyers.

• Solicitor: Solicitors provide legal advice, prepare legal documents, and represent clients in court, though they primarily work on the paperwork and management of cases. They often specialize in areas such as family law, criminal law, corporate law, or property law.
• Barrister: Barristers specialize in courtroom advocacy, representing clients in court and providing specialist legal opinions. They are typically instructed by solicitors when a case requires court representation or detailed legal argumentation.
• Corporate Lawyer: These lawyers work within companies or with corporate clients to handle mergers, acquisitions, contracts, and compliance with regulatory matters. They also advise on business disputes and company law.
• Criminal Lawyer: Criminal lawyers either defend individuals accused of committing crimes or prosecute individuals on behalf of the state. They work on cases involving theft, fraud, assault, and more serious crimes like murder.
• Family Lawyer: Family lawyers deal with legal matters related to family relationships, such as divorce, child custody, and domestic disputes. They also handle cases involving adoption, prenuptial agreements, and inheritance.
• Employment Lawyer: Employment lawyers advise both employees and employers on legal rights and obligations regarding employment. They handle cases such as unfair dismissal, workplace discrimination, and contract disputes.
• Immigration Lawyer: Immigration lawyers help individuals, families, and businesses with immigration issues, such as visas, asylum claims, and residency applications. They also represent clients in immigration courts.
• Personal Injury Lawyer: These lawyers represent clients who have been injured in accidents or due to negligence. They help clients secure compensation for damages or losses.
• Intellectual Property Lawyer: Intellectual property lawyers protect clients’ intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights. They help individuals and companies protect their inventions, branding, and creative works.

What Does a Lawyer Do?

Lawyers give advice and represent people or organisations in legal matters. What they do each day depends on what kind of lawyer they are. Here is an outline of what lawyers do:

• Give Legal Advice: A lawyer can advise a person, business or government agency about legal rights and obligations or other legal issues.
• Draft and Review Documents: Lawyers draft, review, and edit contracts, wills, leases, and other documents to ensure that they are legally binding and serve their clients’ interests.
• Act as an advocate for clients in court: Barristers (and sometimes solicitors) represent clients in court. They make legal arguments to the judge, question witnesses, and argue the facts and the relevant legal principles to secure the best result for their client.
• Legal research: Lawyers spend much of their time conducting legal research – dissecting prior court cases and regulations to inform their legal strategy for the client.
• Settle Disputes: Lawyers often negotiate settlements to help clients avoid litigation. They strive to reach settlements that benefit their clients, whether in personal injury claims, divorce settlements, or commercial disputes.
• Client Contact: Lawyers need to regularly contact their clients, updating them on their cases, answering their questions, and clarifying the legal process.

Average Lawyer Salary

Salary for a lawyer in the UK varies depending on experience, specialisation, and location.

Below is an overview of the lawyer’s salary.

• Typical Lawyer’s Salary: You can earn between £20,000 and £35,000 a year as a trainee solicitor. Salaries may be higher in London, where large law firms pay more.
• Qualified Solicitor: Qualified Solicitors can earn between £40,000-£65,000 depending on experience and the firm’s size. Solicitors in larger corporate firms can earn upwards of £100,000.
• Barrister: Junior barristers earn between £30,000 and £90,000 per year. Senior barristers, or Queen’s Counsel (QC) as they are known, can earn £200,000+ depending on the nature of their cases and reputation.
• Corporate Lawyer: On average, corporate lawyers earn between £60,000 and £120,000 a year, and senior lawyers in large firms earn much more.

Lawyer Skills

It takes a combination of legal knowledge, analytical and interpersonal skills to succeed as a lawyer. Here is a list of skills needed for a career as a lawyer:

• Critical thinking and analytical skills: To analyse complex information, identify the pertinent issues and develop strategies to solve the client’s legal problems, a lawyer must possess significant analytical skills and think critically about legal issues.
• Communication Skills: All lawyers must communicate complex legal concepts clearly and persuasively, both verbally and in writing. Excellent communication is essential when drafting legal letters and documents, arguing a case in court, or advising a client.
• Research Skills: The law is not handed to you on a platter. Legal work requires a lot of research on the law, precedents, and laws and regulations. Lawyers must be able to do effective research to identify relevant laws and precedents.
• Negotiation Skills: Lawyers negotiate settlements, contracts, or agreements for their clients on a regular basis. Good negotiators obtain the best possible outcomes for their clients.
• Attention to Detail: Lawyers must pay attention to detail while drafting legal letters and documents to avoid any mistakes that may affect the case.
• Time Management and Organisation: Lawyers work on many different files simultaneously, so strong time management and organisational skills are essential to prioritise tasks properly and consistently meet deadlines.

Lawyer Tips

Here are some practical tips for aspiring lawyers:

• Get Some Experience: You cannot practise as a lawyer until you have some experience. Therefore, you want to apply for internships, summer placement programmes, shadowing programmes and anything else through which you can work in a law firm (and meet some lawyers simultaneously!).
• Do Good Research: You’ll do lots of research as a lawyer. Develop great research skills and get used to legal databases, statutes and case law.
• Specialise early: Having completed your legal education, take the time to specialise in an area of law you’re interested in. Specialising early will help you get acquainted with an area of law and jumpstart your expertise and profile.
• Cultivate a network of professional contacts: The legal profession is based on relationships. To open doors to new opportunities, you need to get out there, attend legal events, join professional associations, and network with other members of the profession.
• Stay Current On Legal Changes: The law is always changing, so lawyers must keep abreast of legal developments. You should read legal journals, attend training programmes and take continuing legal education.

Lawyer Requirements

To practise law in the UK, you must meet certain educational and professional criteria. These are somewhat different depending on whether you want to be a solicitor or a barrister.

Solicitor Pathway:

• Qualifying Law Degree (LLB): If you study law at a university, complete an LLB. Suppose you have a degree in another subject. In that case, you can convert your degree to a qualifying law degree by taking a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL).
• Legal Practice Course (LPC): you must do a vocational training course once you’ve finished your law degree or GDL before becoming a solicitor to prepare you for the actual work.
• Two-year training contract: do a hands-on, two-year training contract in a law firm in different legal practice areas.
• Admission as a Solicitor: You are eligible to apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for admission as a qualified solicitor after successfully completing your training contract.

Barrister Pathway:

• Qualifying Law Degree or GDL: As for the solicitors, you will need a law degree or a GDL to start your path to becoming a barrister.
• Bar Course: Complete the Bar Course (formerly the Bar Professional Training Course, or BPTC), the vocational course for barristers.
• Pupillage: Once the Bar Course is complete, you must undertake a 12-month pupillage in a barristers’ chambers, where you train as a barrister under the supervision of an accredited barrister.
• Call to the Bar: Having completed pupillage, you are then called to the Bar and can practise as a barrister.

How to Become a Lawyer

Here’s a step-by-step guide to becoming a lawyer in the UK:

• Complete Law Degree or GDL: This is the academic stage where you get the theoretical training to become a practising lawyer. The profession requires an LLB or GDL.
• Pass the LPC or Bar Course: If you want to be a solicitor, do the LPC; if you want to be a barrister, do the Bar Course.
• Get some experience: Apply for a training contract (for solicitors) or pupillage (for barristers) and prepare for the reality of practising.
• Be Admitted as a Lawyer: Having finished your professional training, apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority or be called to the Bar from your Inn of Court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Should You Become a Lawyer?

One of the biggest benefits of becoming a lawyer is the potential to make a real difference in society – whether that be through defending the rights of individuals, assisting businesses in navigating regulatory challenges, or helping to shape government policy. As a lawyer, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a diverse range of interesting cases, and the work is both intellectually stimulating and financially rewarding. Furthermore (and perhaps best of all), a career in law can take you in any number of directions. It’s a practice area where you can specialise in a sector or area of law that most interests you.

Is Being a Lawyer a Good Career Choice for You?

You could become an excellent lawyer if you have good communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills and are interested in justice and the law. Lawyers must be good with detail, comfortable with complexity, and able to work under pressure. It’s also a good fit for people who like to research issues, debate them and assist others in resolving legal problems.

How much do lawyers earn in the UK? 

That depends on the type of law they practice, where they are based, and how experienced they are. Trainee solicitors can expect to earn between £20,000 and £35,000, whereas newly qualified solicitors can earn between £40,000 and £65,000. Senior solicitors and barristers can earn over £100,000 annually, and the top barristers and corporate lawyers earn much more.

Which Qualifications Can Help with a Career as a Lawyer?

The basic qualifications to practise as a lawyer in the UK are an LLB (law degree) or GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law), followed by either the LPC (Legal Practice Course) or Bar Course. You can also improve your legal skills and further your career in particular fields of law by continuing professional education and training in the form of certifications.

Do I Need Experience to Get Started as a Lawyer?

Yes, practical experience is a crucial part of the training to qualify as a lawyer. All aspiring solicitors must spend two years on a training contract with a law firm. Those wishing to qualify as barristers must undertake a 12-month pupillage at a barristers’ chambers. It is also very helpful to have work experience at university, for example, through internships, job shadowing, or roles as a legal assistant.

Lawyer Career Outlook

The UK continues to need lawyers, particularly in commercial law, property law, and litigation. Lawyers with experience in new areas of law, such as technology law, intellectual property, and environmental law, may find themselves with more opportunities as these areas grow. The profession is stable in the long term and offers a range of career opportunities.

Lawyer Hierarchy and Progressing Within the Role

Lawyers might begin their careers as trainee solicitors or junior barristers, later developing into qualified solicitors or barristers after completing their professional training, and then becoming senior solicitors, partners in a law firm, or Queen’s Counsel (QC), very senior barristers. Alternatively, some lawyers could even take up a role as head of the legal department in an organisation or become judges.

Lawyer Exit Options and Opportunities

Most importantly, lawyers with long experience can move on to other careers as corporate in-house counsel, legal consultants, or even academia and public service. Some will become judges. Others will seek careers in politics, business or legal writing – and successfully do so. The skills learned as a lawyer are easily applied to many other industries.