Barrister jobs in England and Wales specialise in representing people, either individuals or a company, in court. They take instruction from solicitors or other professionals to best assist in arguing a client’s case. The advice goes both ways though, as barristers must also communicate to solicitors. In all courtrooms barrister jobs mean the barrister has rights of audience.
Barrister jobs normally require a certain legal area to be specialised in. These include:
- Criminal law
- Chancery
- Commercial
- Common law (including family)
- Housing
- Personal injury law
Barrister jobs tend to be self-employed from chambers, however there are a growing number of barristers that are employed by private or public companies and organisations. In Scotland, the equivalent to a barrister is known as an advocate and similarly has rights of audience in every Scottish courtroom.
Barrister jobs usually require the following activities and duties:
- Having full knowledge of how the law works
- Managing legal cases
- Carrying out research to assist their case
- Giving their professional opinion to solicitors
- Preparing for court cases
- Standing up in court and arguing
- Examining and cross-examining the witnesses of a case
- Writing legal documents
- Negotiating settlements
Barrister Salary
It is fairly common knowledge that jobs within the law profession are highly paid, and barrister positions are no exception to this rule. Due to the immense amount of training and work it takes to get to this level, the barrister salary can be very sizeable. This depends mainly on the field of work. The barrister salary can be anything up to £90,000 in the first year, and after five years could get up to £200,000. After around 10 years if a barrister reaches senior levels, the barrister salary could even get up to £1,000,000.
Barristers Clerk
The job role of barristers clerk requires the administration and organisation of the barrister’s activities in the chamber. The position is extremely important. The barristers clerk needs to have knowledge of the law, court procedures, court etiquette, amongst other things.
A barristers clerk will set up meetings for the barrister and discuss the case with the clients. The clerk will also communicate to the client’s solicitor. There are many different important duties and responsibilities that a barristers clerk has.
