Barristers Barristers represent clients in court and advise on specialist legal issues. They receive cases through solicitors and are self-employed. When not in court, they work in chambers (offices shared by groups of barristers) where they prepare arguments and advice. Again, barristers work in many different areas of law. Key elements of the job include: • advising clients on the law and the strength of their case; • writing advice letters and legal opinions for clients; • representing clients in court, including presenting the case and cross-examining witnesses; and • negotiating settlements (when a legal dispute is resolved privately outside of court). Once qualified, a barrister is known formally as a ‘junior’. They remain a junior until they’re made a King’s Counsel (KC) – this is also known as ‘taking silk’. A KC is a senior barrister with extensive experience who’s seen as having outstanding ability. Most barristers never become KCs.
Areas of law There are hundreds of different types of law. At the simplest level, you can divide lawyers between those doing commercial work (ie, work for companies) and those involved with individual people. You could be a banking lawyer checking over a major loan by a bank to a corporation or a personal injury lawyer advising someone who was injured at work. Day-to-day working life varies hugely between practice areas – an immigration lawyer’s job will differ greatly from an intellectual property (IP) solicitor. See the ‘Practice area snapshot’ below for more detail.
Further reading Solicitors www.lawcareers.net/solicitors Barristers www.lawcareers.net/barristers
CILEX Lawyers and paralegals are also lawyers who work in law firms. Find out more about paralegals, CILEX Lawyers and apprenticeships later in this guide.
Technology, media and tele- communications Lawyers working in technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) are expected to remain up to date with the latest advancements in tech, including AI. TMT lawyers could be in involved in the regulations required to govern the use of emerging technology or providing advice to clients as they navigate the challenges that come with the incredibly fast-paced and evolving nature of the industry.
Human rights
Intellectual property
Sport
This practice area is incredibly wide-ranging and includes immigration and asylum cases, privacy cases affecting celebrities and international law issues. Clients may range from low-income refugees and prisoners through to large news organisations and government departments.
Sports lawyers can work in both amateur and professional sport, and across a wide spectrum of sports. As well as financial fair play rules, sports lawyers may advise on employment contracts and team transfers, and have the opportunity to develop expertise in a variety of areas. Clients could include governing bodies, leagues or players.
This involves protecting intellectual ideas (eg, new inventions, brands and music) from
exploitation, usually through copyright,
trademarks and patents. The work of IP lawyers includes commercial exploitation cases, infringement disputes, and agreements covering IP rights, either exclusively or as part of larger commercial deals.
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