Employed barristers also work in private organisations such as in-house legal departments of charities and companies. Barristers are usually hired by solicitors to represent a case in court and only become involved when appearing before a court is needed. A barrister pleads the case on behalf of the client and the client's solicitor. Applications are now open for our undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including online, part-time and business options.
As a barrister, the work you do will depend on a range of factors, including the area of practice - out of 24 different practice areas of law - you want to dedidate yourself to. However, your main role will always be to solve problems and resolve disputes. The barrister job description can involve a wide range of skills. The role of a barrister can include the following:. In a nutshell, barristers usually practise as advocates representing their clients in court.
On the other hand, solicitors and lawyers tend to do the majority of their legal work in a law firm or in the office. Of course, there are always exceptions to this. For example, the defining features of both barrister and solicitor have become foggy in modern times and both roles can often overlap.
There are two main types of lawyers in New South Wales - barristers and solicitors. Barristers are independent, specialist advocates who are trained to appear in a courtroom, in commissions of inquiry and in alternative forms of dispute resolution. Barristers may also provide objective advice on particular legal problems for clients, solicitors, businesses and governments. Barristers act as mediators and arbitrators as well as conducting other dispute resolution processes.
Every day, clients make strategic decisions in disruptive and stressful situations with the help of a barrister. That's why outcomes for clients improve significantly when barristers are involved at the earliest possible stage of a dispute. Barristers receive most of their their work known as 'briefs' from a solicitor, who might be part of a law firm or working in-house for a company or government department. The usual route to a barrister is through a solicitor.
Solicitors have good working relationships with barristers and are likely to be able to identify the most suitable barrister to deal with your case. Assuming that the barrister identified is available and that there are no conflicts of interest, they are under a duty to take on your case under the 'cab rank' rule.
What is a Barrister? What do Barristers do? What is a QC or SC? A growing number of barristers specialise in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. Your area of practice will largely determine the balance and emphasis of these activities. For example:. Employed barristers undertake similar activities for one company or client. At more senior levels, they may also become involved with the development of legal policy and strategy.
Barristers also contribute to the collective running and management of chambers, particularly with the recruitment of pupils and other tenants. These include your geographical location, area of practice, experience and reputation, as well as your type of employer self-employed or employed. Salaries at top commercial sets, for example, can be much higher than those at family or criminal sets.
Earnings for barristers in the early stages of their career are sometimes extremely low and there may be a considerable delay between doing the work and receiving payment. Deductions for costs such as rent for chambers, clerks' fees, tax, insurance and travel must also be taken into account if you're self-employed. Salaries for employed barristers will be less varied as they're determined by your employer.
While courts tend to sit at regular hours during the day, barristers frequently have to work long, unsocial hours involving evenings and weekends, particularly at the beginning of their career.
To complete the academic component of training, you'll need to get a minimum undergraduate degree. If your degree is in a subject other than law, or if you took your law degree more than five years' ago, you'll need to complete a law conversion course , which is commonly called the Graduate Diploma in Law GDL.
Some course providers offer an integrated academic and vocational course, which combines both the academic and vocational elements of the training. In order to start the vocational component of training, you'll need to pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test BCAT , which tests your aptitude for critical thinking and reasoning. You must also join one of the four Inns of Court:. The Inns provide educational and social support for barristers and student barristers, including libraries, dining halls and common rooms.
The choice of Inn does not affect the areas of legal practice open to you, or the choice of chambers for pupillage or tenancy applications, but if you have received a scholarship, you will be required to join the Inn that provided it. The student officer at each Inn will supply more information. A limited number of scholarships are also available from the four Inns of Court. The aim of the vocational component of training is to provide you with the specialist skills, knowledge, attitudes and competence needed to become a barrister.
The names of these courses may vary but they will all satisfy the vocational component. Look out for names such as:. For more information, see Bar courses. After the vocational component of training, intending barristers must complete a pupillage work-based component in order to practise. The pupillage is divided into two parts:. Competition is fierce, in terms of both academic standards and personal qualities.
New training requirements to become a barrister will be coming into effect over the next couple of years. The aim is to make training more flexible and affordable, and therefore more accessible to more people, while maintaining the same high standards needed to practise as a barrister. There will be more approved training pathways offered, which are likely to be available from late It is then necessary to undertake a period of training usually 21 consecutive calendar months in a solicitor's office approved by the Faculty of Advocates.
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