Solicitor advocate job description

Nov 14, 2021

Written By Robert Greene

If you love the idea of representing your client in court but don’t fancy being self-employed as a barrister, a job as a solicitor-advocate could be the career for you. In this article, we will look at what a solicitor-advocate is, what they do, and how to become one.

What is a solicitor advocate?

In its simplest sense, a solicitor-advocate is a hybrid of a solicitor and a barrister: a qualified solicitor who has the same rights of audience as a barrister.

Whilst solicitors have limited rights of audience, solicitor-advocates can represent their clients in Magistrates’ Court, High Court, Crown Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

As of April 2021, there were 7,037 solicitor-advocates in England and Wales. Of these, the vast majority are employed, whilst the remainder are self-employed.

What does a solicitor advocate do?

A solicitor-advocate is involved “from top to bottom”, according to Vice Chair of the Solicitors’ Association of Higher Courts Advocates (SAHCA), Alan Williams. This means they’re involved in every aspect of a client’s case, from case preparation through to the final hearing.

It’s an interesting, varied role. A solicitor-advocate could be doing things like taking instruction from and advising clients, drafting and negotiating legal documents, conducting legal research, managing caseloads and preparing and presenting legal arguments in court – even cross-examining witnesses.

They could also be liaising with legal professionals – including solicitors, barristers and judges – and negotiating settlements with opposing parties.

What skills does solicitor advocate need?

As a solicitor-advocate has similar duties and responsibilities to both a solicitor and a barrister, they require a similar skill set to both. These are in:

Written and oral communication

Research and analysing

Problem-solving

Teamwork

Interpersonal

Time management

Case management

Attention to detail

Commercial awareness

Emotional intelligence

Organisation

Public speaking

Advocacy

Solicitor-advocate qualifications

There is currently only one route to qualification: completing the “assessment of advocacy” tests.

There are no longer any work experience or training requirements in qualifying to be a solicitor-advocate . However, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) does recognise a number of Higher Rights of Audience (HRA) assessment providers, including The University of Law. Once you have passed the advocacy assessment, you must submit a Higher Rights of Audience (HRA) application to the SRA, which costs £75.

As of April 2021, only qualified solicitors and registered European lawyers can take the HRA assessments. This means trainee solicitors can only sit the assessments after they have been admitted to the roll of solicitors.

Aspiring solicitor-advocates can qualify in criminal law or civil law, or both. As of April 2021, 43.4% of solicitor-advocates practised criminal law only, 36.9% practised civil law only, and 19.7% practised both.

Solicitor-advocate salaries

Salaries for solicitor-advocates vary depending on the type of employment, the area of practice, and the years of experience.

For criminal law advocates, a duty solicitor can expect to earn somewhere in the region of £25-30,000 per year, whilst a solicitor-advocate can expect to earn up to £45,000. That is because solicitor-advocates spend more time at court and, therefore, command a premium.

For civil work, advocates can expect even higher salaries; the “sky's the limit”, according to SAHCA Vice Chair Alan Williams.

Solicitor-advocate working hours

Many barristers find themselves buried in work on a Sunday evening in preparation for the coming week at court. Cases are often dumped on them at the last minute, meaning they have to get up to speed at the last minute.

Solicitor-advocates, on the other hand, tend to have a more manageable working schedule. That’s because they work with clients from the initial contact right through to the court hearing – they have an in-depth understanding of cases and are not subject to last-minute ‘dumping’ that interferes with precious weekends.

Solicitor-advocate career progression

There’s plenty that a solicitor-advocate can progress onto. Firstly they can climb to the upper echelons of the career ladder of both solicitor and barrister, and be promoted to partnership level at a private practice law firm.

They can also achieve the coveted status of Queen’s Counsel (QC). a recognition of seniority and expertise in advocacy. QCs are appointed by an independent panel of retired judges, senior lawyers, and non-lawyers. A solicitor-advocate can also apply to become part of the judiciary.

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