What’s the difference between barristers and solicitors?
Unsure of the difference between barristers and solicitors? We compare barristers vs solicitors, including the roles of barristers and solicitors, how much you can expect to earn, and how to qualify as a solicitor or a barrister.
What does a barrister do?
The role of a barrister is to advocate persuasively on behalf of their client, in order to convince the court of their client’s case. Barristers perform advocacy in both written and oral forms.
When a client’s case is set to go to trial, a barrister will be approached by a solicitor to represent that case in court.
What does a solicitor do?
The role of a solicitor is to represent clients and give expert advice relating to a client’s legal interests.
This is defined by two broad categories of work:
Contentious work: resolving disputes between parties. This includes drafting witness statements, negotiations, preparing court bundles, or working towards settling disputes.
Non-contentious work: Handling a client’s business or personal legal matters. This could include advising on the sale of a business, providing tax advice, or drafting employment contracts.
Where do barristers and solicitors work?
Where do barristers work?
Barristers are generally self-employed and work out of chambers. Barristers’ chambers are made up of groups of barristers that share costs and expenses for the running of the office.
A typical barristers’ chambers will have office spaces, conference rooms, an up-to-date library, and a room for dining and entertainment. They also contain barristers’ clerks who organise the administration and day-to-day running of the chambers.
Barristers may also work as part of the Crown Prosecution Service or Government Legal Profession, or in private organisations such as in-house legal departments of organisations.
Where do solicitors work?
Solicitors work in a variety of different places. Most organisations regularly need solicitors, which means there are plenty of opportunities to work in different sectors and fields.
Many solicitors work in law firms. Some prominent examples of these are the Magic Circle firms of Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields, Linklaters, and Slaughter and May.
Solicitors could also work for the Government Legal Profession, an in-house legal department within an organisation, the Crown Prosecution Service, or law centres.
What does a barrister earn?
Pupil barrister salaries
The minimum pupil barrister salaries are £20,703 in London and £18,884 outside London, as recommended from 1 January 2023 by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
Qualified barrister salaries
The majority of barristers earn between £60,000 - £150,000.
As barristers are generally self-employed, salaries can widely vary. This changes further depending on what area of law the barrister specialises in.
What does a solicitor earn?
Trainee solicitor salaries
The minimum trainee solicitor salaries are £23,703 in London, and £21,024, outside London, as recommended by The Law Society. However, this is only a guideline, and there is no set minimum for trainee solicitor salaries.
Newly qualified solicitor salaries
Newly qualified solicitors can earn an average of £28,000 - £68,000, with salaries rising as you gain more experience. At some of the biggest firms, newly qualified solicitor salaries can be as high as £180,000.
Solicitor salaries vary between regions. The highest paid region for solicitors is London, with average solicitor salaries of £88,000, going down to £43,000 in the North of England.
However, with an increasing number of solicitors looking to practice outside of London, solicitors’ salaries are expected to rise in these other regions.
What skills do I need to be a barrister or a solicitor?
Aspiring barristers and solicitors need to develop the following skills:
Communication
Attention to detail
Teamwork
Organisation
Commercial awareness
Problem solving and creativity
Specialist barrister skills include:
Skilled oration and public speaking
Expressing arguments and ideas
Working independently
Specialist solicitor skills include:
Interpersonal skills
Excellent listening ability
Able to clearly explain complex information
How do I become a barrister?
To become a barrister, you will firstly need to complete a law undergraduate degree or law conversion course.
You will then join one of the four Inns of Court, before completing the Barrister Training Course (BTC). During this year long vocational course, you will practice the essential advocacy skills required for practice.
After completing the BTC, you will complete two-years of work-based training called pupillage.
How do I become a solicitor?
To become a solicitor, you will need to complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
The SQE is comprised of two sets of assessments, the SQE1 and SQE2, which are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) and are run externally from educational institutions.
In order to qualify for the SQE exams, you will need a degree in any subject. However, it is not recommended to sit the SQE exams without extensive preparation. This is because the exams are set at the standards expected from a newly qualified solicitor.
Your legal knowledge and skills will need to be developed beyond the level of a law degree or law conversion course. There is a range of SQE preparation courses that will set you up for success in the SQE.
As well as the SQE exams, you will complete two-years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). This can be completed between up to four different organisations, at any point during the SQE training route.
Final thoughts
While barristers and solicitors often work closely together, there are many differences between these two types of lawyers. One of the biggest differences is the route to qualifying as a barrister or a solicitor. At BPP we offer courses for both aspiring barristers and solicitors.
Find out more about becoming a barrister or becoming a solicitor, or view our postgraduate law courses.
