Solicitor Duties & Responsibilities

The role and function of a Solicitor includes the following duties and responsibilities:

  • Acting on behalf of clients in disputes and representing them in court, if necessary;
  • Instructing barristers or specialist advocates to appear in court for the client in complex disputes;
  • Giving legal advice
  • Taking a client’s instructions;
  • Advising a client on the law and legal issues relating to their case;
  • Liaising with other professionals such as barristers
  • Representing clients in court.
  • Writing legal documents
  • Checking all documentation prior to signing and implementing;
  • Calculating claims for damages, compensation, maintenance, etc;
  • Preparing papers for court;
  • Attending meetings and negotiations with opposing parties;
  • Working in a team, sometimes referring cases to the head of department;
  • Supervising and delegating work to trainee solicitors, paralegals and legal secretaries as appropriate;
  • Arranging and attending further client meetings where necessary to progress with the case and finalise documentation;
  • Negotiating with clients and other professionals to secure agreed objectives;
  • Researching and analysing documents and case law to ensure the accuracy of advice and procedure;
  • Supervising the implementation of agreements;
  • Keeping up to date with changes and developments in the law by reading journals and law reports;
  • Meeting and interviewing clients to establish the firm’s suitability to provide the necessary advice and services, based on the firm’s specialism and likely cost;
  • Corresponding with clients and opposing solicitors;
  • Administrative duties, e.g. completing time sheets so that charges for work can be calculated and billing clients for work done on their behalf;
  • Taking referrals from other firms of solicitors when a conflict of interest arises or if they have no specialist practitioner available;
  • Drafting documents, letters and contracts tailored to the client’s individual needs;
  • Undertaking a range of continuing professional development (CPD) activities.
  • Coordinating the work of all parties involved;

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Solicitor duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Solicitor roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.