Mini Topics

Question 1

What is the role of a solicitor?

Answer 1

Advocacy in Court
Interviewing clients
Drafting documents and writing letters
Representing clients in police stations
Advising clients

Question 2

What society represents solicitors?

Answer 2

The Law Society

Question 3

What Authority deals with complaints about Solicitors?

Answer 3

The Solicitors Regulatory Authority

Question 4

What is the role of a barrister?

Answer 4

Advocacy (taking a case to court)
Represent clients in court
Writing opinions on cases
Draft document for court use
Can apply to become a Queen’s council (highest ranking barrister)

Question 5

Who represents barristers?

Answer 5

General Council of the Bar

Question 6

Who trains, disciplines and regulates barristers?

Answer 6

Bar Standards Board

Question 7

What is a legal executive and what do they do?

Answer 7

A legal executive is a qualified lawyer that must have worked in a solicitor’s firm for at least 5 years.
They usually deal with the more straight forward aspects of a solicitor’s job e.g. petty crime

Question 8

What are all legal executives members of?

Answer 8

Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, these provide training and the code of conduct.

Question 9

What courts does a superior judge sit in?

Answer 9

Supreme Court
Court of Appeal
High court

Question 10

What courts does an inferior judge sit in?

Answer 10

Crown court
County court
Magistrates court
Tribunals

Question 11

What is the role of the Justices of the Supreme Court?

Answer 11

Hearing points of law at great importance
Any decision of law becomes precedent
Sit at an uneven panel

Question 12

What is the role of senior judges?

Answer 12

To hear appeals
Usually sit in a panel of 3
Decisions on points of law become precedents which lower courts must follow

Question 13

What is a high court judge and where do they sit?

Answer 13

High court and crown court
In high court- They hear criminal appeals (law only) from the magistrates court.
In crown court- they hear criminal trials (sit with a jury) usually the most serious criminal cases.

Question 14

What is a circuit judge and where do they sit?

Answer 14

Crown court
They hear criminal trials (sit with a jury) they decide the law, sentence and if guilty

Question 15

What is a recorder and where do they sit?

Answer 15

Part time judges usually still practicing solicitors or barristers.
Crown court
Hear criminal trials (sit with jury) decide the law and sentence if guilty

Question 16

What is a district judge and where do they sit?

Answer 16

Magistrates court
Try criminal cases (sit alone) decide facts and law, decide sentence if guilty

Question 17

What type of criminal legal aid is available 24 hours a day?

Answer 17

Duty Solicitors Scheme. Advice over telephone or face to face.

Question 18

What must the defendant do in order to get representation at court?

Answer 18

The defendant must qualify under the interests of justice and means test.

Question 19

What is the interest of justice test?

Answer 19

The D can only get legal funding for representation if they can show one of the 5 interests of justice factors.

Question 20

What is the means test?

Answer 20

Assesses a persons income and ability to pay by looking at their income and capital.

Question 21

What type of legal help is there in civil cases?

Answer 21

Help lines
Citizens advice bureaux
Law centres
Trade unions

Question 22

What are examples of private funding for cases?

Answer 22

Own resources
Insurance
Conditional fee agreements