U1A: Solicitors

Question 1

How many solicitors are there working in England and Wales?

Answer 1

-About 136,000 solicitors

Question 2

What are the types of practice for Solicitors?

Answer 2

-Private practise: solictor’s firm
-CPS/Government Department
-Commerical/ business ‘in-house’

Question 3

How many solicitor firms are there around about?

Answer 3

-10,300 firms

Question 4

What are some jobs solicitors in a high-street firm may be expected to do?

Answer 4

WILL:
-Interview clients
-Negotiate on the behalf of clients

PAPER WORK SUCH AS:
-Writing letters
-Drafting documents EG: wills
-Dealing with conveyancing

Question 5

What is the Rights of Advocoacy and what Act is this implemented in?

Answer 5

-Courts and Legal Services Act 1990
-WHERE:
solicitors allowed to apply for a certificate of advocacy to conduct cases in the higher courts.

Question 6

What must solicitors do to qualify for Rights of Advocacy?

Answer 6

-Must have experience of advocacy in the lower courts, take a course and pass examinations to be able to do so

Question 7

What is the governing body of solictors called?

Answer 7

-The Law Society

Question 8

What do the Law Society do?

Answer 8

-Support the interests of solictors

Question 9

What is the complaints procedure for solicitors?

Answer 9

1) Complain to solicitor’s firm
IF NOT RESOLVED:
2) Solicitors Regulatory Authority (deals with complaints about the professional misconduct of solicitors)
3) SRA investigate
IF THEY FEEL THERE IS A CASE:
4) Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal

Question 10

What may be the outcome of a Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal?

Answer 10

-They can fine, reprimand or suspend the solicitor
-In very serious cases, a solicitor can be struck off

Question 11

What court can be used for suing solicitors and using what type of law?

Answer 11

-Can be sued in the civil courts using the law of contract OR sometimes negligence

Question 12

What is a CASE EXAMPLE for solicitors being sued for negligence AND what happened?

Answer 12

-Griffiths V Dawson
-Solicitors failed to make the correct application in divorce proceedings

Question 13

Can people other than the client of the solicitor sue?

Answer 13

-YES: in some circumstances

Question 14

What is a case example for when someone OTHER than the client sued + what happened?

Answer 14

-White v Jones
-Daughter of client sued for a solictor who had not made the will of client