How you can become a Solicitor in the UK

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Do you aspire to become a successful solicitor in the UK? But you need to know the process you need to follow to become one, so this article will help you get a compact idea about solicitors' profession and how much they earn on average. So, read this article thoroughly to get all your answers in one place.

What is the role of a Professional Solicitor?

Like other nations in the UK, a solicitor interprets and answers legal matters for their clients. The legal issues may involve individuals, small groups, private companies, or government organizations. So they are required for household matters like divorces or wills and commercial matters like acquisitions and mergers. 

Basically, they attend to all legal matters, whether it is of personal or professional requirements. Therefore, they have a full-year engagement with a good payout and no recession period. Because the law is the same for every season and every person, we often require help from it. It can be regarding a personal dispute or a professional issue. You will always get help from professional lawyers. 

How Much Does a Solicitor Earn Yearly?

The inexperienced solicitors can earn between £38,441 and £65,960 at the early stage in the UK. Once they have more than ten years of experience, their yearly earnings can go up to £150,000 and even more than that. It proves solicitation is a stable career option. Also, the lawyers can become barristers, and that ensures higher income. 

So, you can determine whether to become a solicitor in the UK and plan your study accordingly. Along with your degrees, you need to present yourself to get the first job. For that, you may engage a professional CV writing service to showcase all your skills systematically. Or try it yourself with the help of an expert's suggestion. 

Required Qualifications to be a Solicitor

Becoming a successful solicitor requires hardcore study and memorization. To become a solicitor, you must have a graduation degree and pass the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments. From September 2021, the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) will become the new centralized examination for those wishing to qualify as lawyers in England and Wales. 

The non-law graduates need to acquire fundamental knowledge before appearing in the SQE. So they need to get a Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Arts in Law to kick-start their career as lawyers in the UK. 

Once you have acquired the required degrees, you must pursue at least two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). It will prove your suitability in this profession just like Industrial Training (IT) does for technical students.

Required Skills to Become a Solicitor

Along with thorough knowledge of the law, a professional solicitor should have other different skill sets to pursue the profession successfully. Here we will mention the required skills, so students can understand the obligations they must fulfill to become successful lawyers.

  • Integrity is the primary virtue a solicitor requires to establish a professional approach to work. They need to keep their clients' sensitive information confidential and can never discuss it with anyone else. It will help clients freely express their problems to solicitors and get a suitable solution. 
  • Lawyers should have excellent problem-solving skills because nobody approaches them without problems. The problems can be personal or professional; a lawyer should always be able to provide a satisfactory solution. It will develop the interdependency between lawyers and their clients.
  • Not all cases have the same solution, so professional solicitors should have good research and analytical skills. The lawyers must understand the problem in detail to devise the best solution. A simple case can become tricky if the solicitor fails to give it the right direction. Hence it is of utmost importance. You can go through a lawyers CV example to get a clear idea about the skill and qualifications a solicitor requires to practice in the UK.
  • A solicitor should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral. They must present the case in printed form to the judge or barrister, which requires excellent writing skills. Also, they must argue the case in front of the case, which requires mind-blowing convincing skills.
  • A firm negotiating skill is another essential virtue a professional solicitor should have to become successful. Nobody leaves any ground without argument, and whoever can beat their opponent in the negotiation becomes the winner in their profession. In fact, legal cases are all about negotiating to safeguard the client. 
  • A professional lawyer should do efficient time management and prioritize the tasks that require immediate attention. Experienced solicitors generally handle several cases simultaneously in different courts. So, time management is a must to attend to all cases within the asking time. 
  • A solicitor should continue to update about the law amendments and the passing of new laws. Regular updates are the key to their success, as the law considerably changes within a short time. Hence a professional solicitor should be updated about all recent amendments to include those in the respective cases.
  • Lawyers often have to work with a bigger team or companies, so they should have interpersonal skills to manage all their clients simultaneously. Also, they need the confidence to confront any problems on behalf of their clients. Hence, being a lawyer is challenging, as they are always busy solving tricky matters. 

Final Thoughts

The job of a solicitor in the UK is attractive with a good payout, but you need to acquire the skill we have mentioned above. If you think you can't manage all the issues a solicitor faces in their daily routine, think carefully before choosing this as your profession. Because once you have selected this profession, there is no turning back. 

You can become a barrister or judicial administrator after your law graduation, but their job is similar to that of solicitors. They always have to handle criminals during their working hours. We hope these suggestions will help you in choosing your career path wisely, consider all the points mentioned herein before you take the final decision.

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