A solicitor will act in their client’s best interests by defending and representing them in a matter. Some examples can include:

Solicitors’ work can be divided into two categories; contentious legal work (which is resolving disputes between parties) and non-contentious legal work (which is dealing with legal aspects of the client’s business or personal life).

I, personally, am a property lawyer and this means I do the legal work for selling and buying homes. I see a lawyer as someone who solves problems for their clients. The new Netflix series the Lincoln lawyer had a good quote “every case is like a puzzle. It’s a code you’ve got to crack” by Mickey Haller.

What is a day like as a lawyer/solicitor?

Every day is so varied as a lawyer. You can do tasks such as;

– Reviewing legal documents and summarising them to clients.

– Drafting legal documents based on what your client’s needs.

– Updating all parties on progress and making sure everything is moving forward for your client

– Advising clients either in person, on the phone or in letter format

– Representing clients in court (not necessary for every area of law)

– Completing legal forms and submitting requests to the court, for tax and other practical matters.

Why would I want to be a Lawyer/ Solicitor?

A career in law is never boring! It is both challenging and fulfilling. I have listed some of the reasons why you may want to be a lawyer below;

1. Meeting and working with a wide range of people. Are you a people person? At the heart of the legal profession is customer service. The fundamental purpose of the job is to help others. You, also, get to meet a lot of interesting people along the way.

2. There is a wide range of work and areas of law available to suit all different interests. Legal professionals who want to work in resolving disputes can work in criminal, family, employment, property disputes and many more areas. Those who do not wish to be in disputes but facilitate transactions can work in property, commercial, tax and more.

3. Law is intellectually challenging and therefore never boring. You have to keep up to date with ever-changing law, technology and the demands of your clients. You are dealing with complex issues and trying to do so as quickly and correctly as you can. Whilst also updating everyone on what you are doing in an easy-to-understand way.

4. Being a lawyer can offer good job security. In times of economic uncertainty, certain areas of law still do very well. In fact, some areas of law even do better such as litigation, bankruptcy etc. as long as you can adapt.

5. The Law is always changing which means you can use your problem-solving skills and be an innovator. It makes every day unique and therefore always interesting.

6. You have a chance to help people. All areas of law help people from the obvious such as defending someone’s rights under human rights law or criminal law to the less obvious, such as helping clients navigate a stressful time in their life like starting a new business or buying a new home.

Am I suited to being a Lawyer/Solicitor?

You do not need to be from a certain family, location or background. Times have moved on. We need to move on from the stereotype. It is all about your personality and skills. To be a good lawyer or solicitor you should;

– Be a creative problem solver.

– Work well in a team.

– Have initiative

– Have good communication skills

– Work well under pressure

– Have commercial awareness

– Have good attention to detail

– Understand people and be a good listener

– Have good research and preparation skills

If this sounds like you please consider our Problem Solving Workshop or our Work Experience Programme as your first step towards a career in law. You can find both on our website: https://attwells.com/work-experience/ https://attwells.com/problem-solving-workshop-consent-form/

If you have any questions please contact charlotte.reason@attwells.com