Solicitors Work

Question 1

Where will the majority of those who succeed in qualifying as a solicitor work for ?

Answer 1

will work for private practise in a solicitors firm

Question 2

For those who do not go to work for private practise in a solicitors firm where will they go? (3)

Answer 2

may go to work in the Crown Prosecution Service or for a local authority or government department

Question 3

For those who do not go to work for
-a solicitors firm
-CPS
-Local authority 
-government department 
What will they become and do?

Answer 3

legal advisors in commercial or industrial businesses

Question 4

How many employed solicitors are there in commercial or industrial businesses?

Answer 4

30,000

Question 5

What 2 things may a solicitor in private practise work as ?

Answer 5

• sole practitioner

- partnership

Question 6

How many firms of solicitors are there ranging from ‘high street’ practise to the big city firms?

Answer 6

10,000

Question 7

How many partners do some of the biggest firms have?

Answer 7

over a hundred

Question 8

What general process work would usually be involved a small high street firm? (3)

Answer 8

advising clients on a whole range of topics such as consumer problems, housing and business matters

Question 9

What would a solicitor in a small high street firm spend some of his time doing? (3)

Answer 9

Interviewing clients in his office
negotiating on clients behalf
paperwork

Question 10

What time of paperwork would be involved for a solicitor in a small high street firm? (4)

Answer 10

• Writing letters on behalf of clients
• drafting contacts, leases or other legal documents
• drawing up wills
• dealing with conveyancing

Question 11

What is dealing with conveyancing?

Answer 11

the legal side of buying and selling flats, houses, office buildings and land

Question 12

What is advocacy?

Answer 12

standing up in court putting the clients case and questioning witnesses

Question 13

Although some solicitors may be general practitioners who handle a variety of work, what is it not unusual for even small firms to have ?

Answer 13

to have solitaires who are specialised in a particular field

Question 14

What 2 aspects of law do large city firms usually concentrate on?

Answer 14

business and commercial law

Question 15

what are top earners on big firms usually on £?

Answer 15

£500,000

Question 16

What is the bottom scale for some sole practitioners ?

Answer 16

earning less than £30,000

Question 17

Prior to what year did solicits have a monopoly on conveyancing?

Answer 17

1985

Question 18

What did it mean that prior 1985 solicitors had a monopoly on conveyancing?

Answer 18

this meant that only solicitors could deal with the legal side of transferring houses and other buildings and land

Question 19

What changed the solicitors monopoly on conveyancing prior 1985?

Answer 19

the Administration of Justice Act 1985

Question 20

What did the Administration of Justice Act 1985 do?

Answer 20

this allowed people other than solicitors to become licensed conveyancers

Question 21

What was a result to solicitors from the Administration of Justice Act 1985?

Answer 21

they had to reduce their fees due to the increased competition in the area and lost a large proportion of their work

Question 22

What led to a demand for wider rights of advocacy?

Answer 22

the effects Administration of Justice Act 1985 which caused a lose of work and a reduction in fees for solicitors in conveyancing

Question 23

Where have all solicitors always been able to as advocates ?

Answer 23

• Magistrates Court

- County Courts

Question 24

When could a solicitor only act as an advocate in the Crown Courts?

Answer 24

only when on an appeal or a plea of guilty, they could not represent their client in a trial

Question 25

Until 1986 what did solicitors have no rights to in the High Court ?

Answer 25

Had no rights of audience in open court in the High Court

Question 26

Although solicitors had no rights of audience in open court in the High Court , what could that do?

Answer 26

could deal with preliminary matters in preparation of a case

Question 27

What case emphasised the lacks of rights of audience?

Answer 27

Abse v Smith (1986)

Question 28

What happened in the case of Abse v Smith 1986?

Answer 28

two members of Parliament were contesting a libel action. They came to can agreed settlement but the solicitor for one of them was refused permission by the judge to read out the terms of that settlement in open court

Question 29

Following the case of Abse v Smith 1986 what did the Lord Chancellor and senior in each division of the High Court do?

Answer 29

they issued a Practise Direction allowing solicitors to appear in the High Court to make a statement in a case that has been settled

Question 30

When was the first major alteration to solicitors' rights of audience?

Answer 30

in the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990

Question 31

What did the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 do?

Answer 31

a solicitor in private practise had the right to apply for a certificate of advocacy which enabled them to appear in the higher courts

Question 32

When was a certificate of advocacy given? (3)

Answer 32

if the solicitor already had experience of advocacy in the Magistrates' Court and the County Court - took a short training course - passed examinations on the rules of evidence

Question 33

When were the first certificate of advocacy granted?

Answer 33

1994

Question 34

by 2012 who many solicitors had been qualified as advocates in the higher court?

Answer 34

6,000

Question 35

What did the Access to Justice Act 1999 s36 provide?

Answer 35

this provided that all solicitors will automatically be given full rights of audience

Question 36

What Act provided that all solicitors will automatically be given full rights of audience

Answer 36

Access to Justice Act 1999 s36

Question 37

What is an LDP?

Answer 37

Legal Disciplinary Practises

Question 38

What Act had provisions to allow solicitors to form partnerships with other professions such as accountants?

Answer 38

s66 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990

Question 39

What provisions did s66 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 allow?

Answer 39

this allowed solicitors to form partnerships with other professions such as accountants

Question 40

What did s66 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 through allowing solicitors to form partnerships with other professions such as accountants, give clients ?

Answer 40

this gave clients a wider range of expertise and advice in a 'one-stop-shop'

Question 41

What Act allows Legal Disciplinary Practises up to 25% of partners in a firm to be non-lawyers ?

Answer 41

the Legal Service Act 1007

Question 42

As well as allowing LDP's up to 25% of partners in a firm to be non-lawyers, what else does the Legal Service Act 2007 allow?

Answer 42

also allows Alternative Business Structures

Question 43

What does it mean by an Alternative Business Structure , allowed by the Legal Service Act 2007?

Answer 43

this means that instead of having to be a praetorship solicitors can form companies which do not have to e owned by solicitors