What does a barrister do? Many people wonder exactly what a barrister does as part of their career, and how they benefit and advocate for their clients. A barrister is often confused with a solicitor, and the two are similar, but not quite the same. Here’s our handy guide that explains exactly what a barrister does.
A Barrister’s Role
A barrister in the UK specialises in court advocacy, which means they’ll advise and speak for their client during court hearings. They’ll also offer independent legal advice to their clients in their best interests. A barrister is usually self-employed and works from a barrister’s ‘chambers’. Barristers often work for private clients, called laypeople, but can also represent government departments or agencies such as the Crown Prosecution Service or a local authority.
Barrister vs Solicitor
The key difference is that a barrister becomes involved at such time as a case is heard in court – they’ll appear in court, talk to the judge and advocate for their client, using their wealth of legal knowledge. A solicitor may instruct them, which means they may provide a brief ahead of their court appearance or supply the court paperwork in preparation, but generally speaking, a solicitor doesn’t advocate in court. A London law firm, such as https://www.forsters.co.uk, may instruct a barrister on your behalf.
Types of Practice
Barristers can practise across lots of different areas, and often specialise in one particular area. There are 24 areas, which include family law, for example divorce or child arrangements, criminal law, employment law, company law and immigration law – amongst many others!
What skills does a barrister need?
Barristers need a huge range of skills, as the job can often be complex and require plenty of different attributes. Barristers need to be able to communicate with lots of different people, from a judge to an everyday client. They need to have determination and self-discipline, an analytical mindset, a logical view of disputes, attention to detail, excellent project and time-management skills and the ability to stay calm when under pressure, to name just a few.
