Did you know that there are over 1 million lawyers in the United States? If you are looking for help with a legal case, you might be wondering more about lawyer vs solicitor. If so, we are here to help clear up the main differences.
Read on to learn more.
Contents
What Is a Lawyer?
Lawyer is the term used to describe a person that is a Licensed Legal Practitioner. This license gives them the right to represent clients in court and also allows them to give legal advice. A lawyer is regulated by the State Bar Association.
What Is a Solicitor?
Solicitors provide legal support, law representation, and advice in property law, criminal law, family law, and business law. A solicitor is also known as an alternative legal service provider. They tend to deal with the paperwork and communications that are involved with the client’s case.
Although a solicitor can represent a client in court they usually turn to a barrister to represent their client in court. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
They have the ability to prosecute and defend litigation in the UK County courts with or without counsels advice.
Roles
In the English legal system, a solicitor deals with any legal matter except for conducting proceedings in courts.
A lawyer on the other hand can carry out pretty much all of these responsibilities:
Research and Drafting
Before the proceedings start for a case, lawyers are expected to brief the court in writing about the issues in a case. When it’s time for oral argument, lawyers might have to perform a lot of research to find laws and facts that are relevant to the case.
Solicitors on the other hand, get their facts from the client and then they brief the barrister in writing about the facts the client presented to them.
Oral Argument
Both lawyers and solicitors can argue the case for the client before a jury or before a judge. In the United States there are trial lawyers that specialize in trying cases in court and they don’t have a monopoly like barristers do in England.
Legal Advice
A lawyer can apply abstract principles of law to the concrete facts of the case they are taking. They can use these facts to advise the client about what they should do. Most countries only allow a licensed lawyer to provide legal advice.
Keep in mind that some countries allow jurists that have a law degree to provide legal advice to corporations or individuals. Having a license is not a pre-condition.
Feeling Like a Lawyer vs Solicitor Pro?
Now that you learned more about lawyer vs solicitor you can make an informed decision on which one suits your needs best. Remember to check either the lawyers or solicitors reviews to ensure you are picking someone that is reputable.
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