Text b Main Stages of a Solicitor’s and Barrister’s Career

The typical stages of a solicitor’s career are as follows: being a trainee solicitor; becoming a practising solicitor at a partnership or a solicitors’ firm; and finally, the ultimate ambition of any solicitor is reaching the position of senior partner in a law firm.

The main career stages of a barrister are as follows: a junior tenant, a full-time practising barrister and an experienced barrister with his own practice. Experienced barristers who have built up a thriving practice at the Bar may apply to become a Queen’s Counsel (the highest position a barrister can have). Barristers are appointed to this rank by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. A QC wears a silk gown, that is why becoming a QC is referred to as ‘taking silk’. A QC is not allowed to appear in Court without having a junior with him, therefore it is more expensive to have a QC in one’s case.

Essential Vocabulary

Lord Chancellor n Лорд- канцлер

practising solicitor n практикующий солиситор

Queen’s Counsel (QC) n королевский адвокат

silk gown n шёлковая мантия

thriving practice n обширная практика

trainee solicitor n юрист (солиситор) - стажёр

Text c Career Opportunities

Once qualified to become a solicitor or a barrister, a person can take steps to go further up in the profession. For example, a barrister can apply to become a Queen’s Counsel (QC) after being in practice for 10 years. However only those at the very top of their profession are likely to be selected by the Lord Chancellor for this honour, and it is extremely rare to be appointed on one’s first application. QC’s can command higher fees. They may be accompanied by a junior barrister in court but this is not a formal requirement any more.

Solicitors can also train more and go higher up in the profession. These days they can become certified advocates, and present cases in the higher courts. They are now also eligible to become district judges or circuit judges, and can then be elevated to the senior judiciary. The possible appointment of solicitors as High Court judges was introduced by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990.

All this taken into account, we can now see that the roles of barristers and solicitors in society are quite different. Many people think that barristers and solicitors are either very similar, or that barristers stand higher up on the professional ladder then solicitors. But in fact they do different jobs and specialize in different subjects.

Reading tasks

Answer these questions.

1 What are the typical stages of a solicitor’s career?

2 What is the ultimate ambition of any solicitor?

3 What are the main career stages of a barrister?

4 What is the highest position a barrister can have?

5 Who may apply to become a Queen’s Counsel?

6 What is peculiar to QC?

7 What are the career opportunities for solicitors?

Vocabulary tasks

A Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following key words and expressions.

1 специализироваться на адвокатской деятельности

2 получить удостоверение о квалификации

3 выступать в судах более высокой инстанции

4 иметь более широкую сферу деятельности

5 зарабатывать большие гонорары

6 разрешение на ведение адвокатской деятельности

7 получить назначение в высшие органы судебной власти

B Drawing on the text above and on the information from the previous units, provide detailed information to fill in the following table.

	SOLICITORS	BARRISTERS
Education and training
Legal practice
Career

C Match the English expressions with their Russian equivalents.

1 to make/ to carve out a career for oneself 2 to embark/ enter upon a career 3 the apex/ the top of one’s career 4 a great lift in one’s career 5 a distinguished career 6 a fruitful career 7 a meteoric career 8 a promising career

блистательная карьера большое продвижение по службе вершина/ звёздный час карьеры головокружительная карьера начать карьеру/ трудовую деятельность перспективная работа плодотворная деятельность сделать карьеру

Discussion

Using the information from the text above and words and expressions from C, speak on the following subjects:

• What are the essential components of a successful career?

• What are the inevitable difficulties that accompany one‘s journey up the professional ladder?

Over to you

Drawing on the text above and other relevant sources analyse the difference between the legal education in Britain and your country. Speak on the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems.

1. Is there anything in particular that you would like to borrow from the British system of legal education?

2. If you lived in Great Britain, which career would you prefer: that of a barrister or a solicitor?

3. What position would you personally like to hold in future and why?