In the modern world, it is likely that at some point you will need to seek the advice of a legal representative, whether it is concerning property family law or divorce.

And unless you have a background in law, generally, it can be a bit confusing to get your head around the terminologies that surround legal professionals. If you are a fan of British soap operas and also familiar with the courtroom scenes in these programs, you may be asking yourself what is the difference between a barrister and a legal representative that works for a law firm like ours?

At Andrew & Andrew, our solicitors Portsmouth have been working with clients in both courtrooms and community settings to reach agreements that benefit our clients. We are always happy to represent you and your family in court or mediation settings and can offer advice to you over the phone too.

But how does the role of our solicitors Portsmouth differ from that of a typical barrister? In this article, we hope to answer this question so that you can better make sense of the professionals in the legal system within the UK.

Role of a solicitor

Our solicitors Portsmouth are trained legal professionals who can represent you in areas surrounding conveyancing, family law, probate and criminal law.

Our team will seek to represent you in either mediation settings or against an accusation put forward by a separate legal representative, or we can represent you in court.

It would be very rare for this kind of legal professional to have expertise in all areas, and many of our team members at Andrew & Andrew are specialised in areas surrounding property, family, criminal and probate law. And of course, when we are representing you, we don’t have to wear a wig or a black cape!

Role of a barrister

Courtroom appearance jokes aside, a barrister has a very important role in the legal system.

Unlike our team, which tends to work in a community setting, a barrister has their role firmly set in a courtroom and is an expert at litigation and negotiation. In short, if your case is brought before a court, you will likely have a barrister representing you.

But this will be more common if you do not have a legal representative and you are, therefore, appointed a public access barrister to represent you in the courtroom. In many cases, you will have both a legal representative from a law firm and a barrister at the same time who will negotiate and liaise with each other to ensure that the best outcome for you is met.

Advising clients

A key difference is that barristers do not advise clients directly, but a legal professional from a firm like ours will discuss your case with you and advise you on the best courses of action.

Negotiating

Both a barrister and a legal professional will be able to negotiate on your behalf, but as mentioned earlier, a barrister can only do this within the realms of the court. A legal representative from a team like ours can do this in both the courtroom and the community.

Drafting documents

And finally, another key difference is that when you come to a firm like Andrew & Andrew, we can draft documents that have legal weight, such as probate documents, conveyancing documents and documents surrounding family law; a barrister cannot do this.