Solicitor vs Barrister: What Is the Difference and Who Do You Need?
A solicitor is the lawyer you deal with day to day: advice, paperwork, negotiation and running your case. A barrister is a specialist advocate, usually brought in by your solicitor to argue the case in court or give an expert opinion.
Key points
- Solicitors advise clients directly, prepare documents, negotiate and conduct litigation; barristers specialise in advocacy and written opinions.
- Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; barristers by the Bar Standards Board. Both must hold a current practising certificate.
- Most people only ever need a solicitor. A barrister is usually instructed by the solicitor when a case goes to a hearing or needs specialist advice.
- You can instruct some barristers directly through the Public Access scheme, but they cannot run the litigation for you unless separately authorised.
- Check any lawyer on the regulator's register before paying, and ask for a written estimate of costs at the start.
The short answer: a solicitor is the lawyer who takes on your problem, advises you, deals with the other side and prepares everything, while a barrister is a courtroom and specialist-opinion lawyer who is normally brought in by the solicitor when a case needs an advocate or an expert view. For a house purchase, a will, a divorce, an employment dispute or a business contract you start with a solicitor. If your matter ends up at a trial, a tribunal hearing or an appeal, your solicitor may instruct a barrister to present it. This guide explains how the two professions differ in England and Wales, how each is trained, regulated and paid, and how to decide which you need.
What a solicitor does
Solicitors are the general practitioners and the project managers of the legal system. A solicitor takes your instructions, gives advice, drafts and checks documents, writes to the other side, gathers evidence, negotiates settlements and, where a dispute goes to court, prepares the case and manages its progress. They hold client money in a regulated client account, which is why conveyancing, probate and settlement payments go through a solicitor rather than a barrister.
Many solicitors never see the inside of a courtroom because their work is transactional: buying and selling property, writing wills and administering estates, setting up companies, drafting commercial contracts, handling employment paperwork. Others are litigators who run disputes from the first letter to the final hearing. Every solicitor can appear as an advocate in the magistrates' courts, the county court and tribunals. To appear in the Crown Court, the High Court, the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court they need an extra qualification called higher rights of audience, and those who hold it are known as solicitor-advocates.
Solicitors work in firms of every size, from a sole practitioner on the high street to international practices with thousands of staff, and increasingly in-house for companies, charities and local authorities. The solicitors near me search lists firms by location and by the legal services they offer.
What a barrister does
Barristers are specialist advocates and advisers. Their core work is presenting cases in court and at tribunals, cross-examining witnesses, making legal arguments, and writing "opinions", which are detailed written assessments of how strong a case is or how a point of law applies. They also draft the formal court documents that set out a claim or a defence.
Most barristers are self-employed and work from shared offices called chambers, where clerks manage their diaries and negotiate their fees. A smaller number are employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, government departments, companies or law firms. Senior barristers who have been appointed King's Counsel (KC, formerly QC before September 2022) take the most complex cases and charge accordingly.
Traditionally a barrister could only be instructed by a solicitor, and for most court work that is still how it happens: the solicitor chooses a barrister with the right specialism, sends them the papers, and the barrister appears at the hearing while the solicitor keeps running the case. The client meets the barrister at a conference before the hearing and on the day, but the solicitor remains the point of contact.
Training and regulation
The two professions qualify by different routes. Since September 2021 new solicitors in England and Wales qualify through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), a two-part national exam, together with two years of qualifying work experience and a degree or equivalent; the older route through the Legal Practice Course and a training contract is being phased out over a transitional period. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), must hold a current practising certificate, carry compulsory professional indemnity insurance and are listed on the SRA's public register.
Barristers complete a law degree or a conversion course, then the vocational Bar course, then a year of supervised practice called pupillage, and are "called to the Bar" by one of the four Inns of Court. They are regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and appear on the Barristers' Register. Barristers follow the "cab rank" rule: a self-employed barrister who is free and offered a proper fee must accept a case within their field, whoever the client is.
Neither title is the only route into legal work. Chartered legal executives regulated by CILEx Regulation, licensed conveyancers regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, and paralegals all carry out legal work, often within solicitors' firms. In Scotland the professions are solicitors and advocates, regulated by the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates; Northern Ireland has its own Law Society and Bar. Whoever you instruct, check them on the relevant register first: the site's own verification process checks a firm's SRA record before it is marked as verified, but an unverified listing has not been checked and you should look it up yourself.
How each is paid
Solicitors charge in several ways. Routine work such as conveyancing, a standard will or an uncontested divorce is usually a fixed fee. Disputes and complex matters are more often charged by the hour, with the rate depending on the lawyer's seniority and where the firm is based, and firms must give you a costs estimate at the outset and update it as the matter develops. Some work is funded by legal aid, legal expenses insurance attached to a home or motor policy, a trade union, or a no win no fee agreement; see can I get legal help for free? and the guide to how much solicitors charge.
Barristers charge a "brief fee" for preparing and attending the first day of a hearing and daily "refreshers" for further days, or an hourly or fixed fee for written advice and drafting. When a solicitor instructs the barrister, the barrister's fee is a disbursement on the solicitor's bill, so you see one invoice. Under Public Access the barrister agrees the fee with you directly, and it is often fixed in advance.
Can you instruct a barrister directly?
Yes, within limits. Under the Bar's Public Access scheme (also called direct access), a barrister who has completed the required training can accept instructions straight from a member of the public or a business without a solicitor. This can be cost-effective where you need a one-off expert opinion, help drafting a document, or an advocate for a single hearing in a case you are otherwise handling yourself.
The limit is litigation. Public Access barristers cannot, unless they hold a separate authorisation to conduct litigation, issue proceedings on your behalf, file documents with the court, serve them on the other side, instruct expert witnesses or handle correspondence as your representative. Those tasks fall on you, which is manageable in a simple case and risky in a complicated one. A barrister who thinks your case needs a solicitor must tell you so and may decline to act. Many people therefore use Public Access for advice at the start of a dispute and go to a solicitor for the running of it; the dispute resolution and litigation guide explains the stages a court claim goes through.
Which do you need?
Start with a solicitor if your matter involves documents, money changing hands, negotiation or an ongoing process. That covers conveyancing and other property work, wills and probate, divorce and financial settlements, children arrangements, employment problems such as dismissal or a settlement agreement, company formation and business contracts, and personal injury claims. The solicitor will tell you if and when a barrister should be brought in.
Consider going directly to a barrister if you want a specialist opinion on a point of law, you are representing yourself at a hearing and want an advocate for the day, or you need a document drafted and are content to handle the rest. If you have been arrested or charged with an offence, contact a criminal defence solicitor first: police station advice is free for everyone, and the solicitor will instruct a barrister for the Crown Court if the case gets that far.
Whichever route you take, confirm the lawyer is on the SRA or BSB register, ask for an engagement letter setting out the work and the costs, and check whether a fixed fee is available. For a local firm, browse solicitors in London, solicitors in Manchester or the full list of cities.
Frequently asked questions
Is a barrister higher than a solicitor?
No. They are two branches of the same profession with different jobs, not ranks. A solicitor manages your matter and advises you; a barrister specialises in courtroom advocacy and written opinions. Senior lawyers exist in both: solicitors become partners or hold higher rights of audience, barristers may be appointed King's Counsel. Judges are appointed from both professions.
Do I need both a solicitor and a barrister for court?
Not always. Solicitors can appear in the magistrates' courts, the county court and tribunals, and many handle hearings there themselves. A barrister is usually instructed for trials, complex hearings and anything in the Crown Court or High Court, where the solicitor either holds higher rights of audience or brings in a barrister to present the case.
Is it cheaper to go straight to a barrister?
It can be, for a one-off opinion, a drafted document or a single hearing, because you pay one lawyer rather than two and the fee is often fixed. It is not cheaper if the case needs litigation to be run, because a Public Access barrister cannot do that for you and the work falls on you or must go to a solicitor anyway.
What is a solicitor-advocate?
A solicitor who has obtained higher rights of audience, allowing them to appear in the Crown Court, the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as a barrister would. Some firms use solicitor-advocates for trials instead of instructing an external barrister, which keeps the case with one team.
How do I check whether a lawyer is genuine?
Look them up on the regulator's public register: the Solicitors Regulation Authority register for solicitors and firms, or the Bar Standards Board's Barristers' Register for barristers. Both show whether the person is authorised to practise and any published disciplinary findings. Be cautious of anyone who asks for payment before you can find them on a register.
Find a solicitor
Search by location and legal service. Verified law firms are listed first, and every firm is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
This guide describes the law in England and Wales as at 30 October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice about your situation; the law and the figures it quotes change, so check the position with a solicitor before acting. LawFirms.co.uk is a directory and does not provide legal services.