FAQS: the Scottish legal profession
What are the main practice areas in solicitors' firms in Scotland?
Solicitors can work across a number of practice areas or opt to specialise in one particular field, depending on the size, location and type of firm. Some of the main practice areas include:
Agricultural law: advising on matters relating to agricultural land, boundaries, traditional rights of way, development proposals and such like.
Banking and finance law: managing transactions for financial organisations such as banks and stock exchanges.
Capital markets law: advising investment banks on legal aspects of transactions.
Commercial and corporate law: assisting in commercial arrangements between businesses.
Construction law: advising clients on the practice and procedures of buildings and structures.
Conveyancing: dealing with the transfer of properties between parties and all that encompasses.
Corporate finance law: equity markets (representing companies or banks on the stock market); mergers and acquisitions; acting in public takeover work.
Criminal law: prosecuting suspected criminals or acting on behalf of defendants.
Crofting law: advising on issues relating to crofting tenancies.
Dispute resolution: resolving disagreements through litigation, arbitration and mediation.
Employment law: resolving problems between employers and employees.
Energy, transport and infrastructure law: advising on transactions between governments, industry regulators, banks and multinational developers.
Environmental and planning law: representing companies or regulators on regulatory and compliance issues, transactions, litigation, etc.
Estate agency/property law: assisting people or organisations to buy and sell property, advising landlords and tenants, and working on corporate real estate transactions.
EU and competition law: ensuring that companies compete on a level playing field both nationally and internationally.
Family law: dealing with personal matters such as divorce and child-related issues.
Human rights law: protecting the rights of individuals.
Insolvency law: acting on behalf of interested parties when businesses and corporations are in financial distress.
Insurance and reinsurance law: acting for insurers who underwrite risks; minimising possible losses by placing some of the risk with another insurer.
Intellectual property law: helping clients to protect their ideas.
IT and communications law: negotiating contracts, working on transactions and advising on regulatory and business issues.
Life sciences law: advising scientific and pharmaceutical groups on issues including intellectual property rights, regulatory regimes and litigation.
Media law: providing litigation assistance or commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the media business.
Oil and gas: a fast-paced area of work that offers travel and high-value transactions. Oil and gas specialists are often based in Aberdeen.
Personal injury law: assisting people who have suffered injury to obtain compensation.
Private client law: advising individuals on a wide range of issues, from drafting wills to controlling family businesses.
Private equity law: helping private equity fund managers to invest in, buy and sell companies.
Securitisation: assisting companies to raise money through investment.
Shipping law: advising shipping industry clients and resolving claims and disputes.
Sports law: dealing with the regulatory and commercial sides of sport.
Tax law: advising corporate or private clients on the tax implications of proposed actions.
How do I qualify as a solicitor in Scotland?
Whatever subject you’re studying at university, a career in law is open to you. The route to qualification is under review but currently students will need to complete:
- a full- or part-time law degree or, if a non-law graduate, a two-year accelerated law degree
- the Scottish diploma in legal practice (a 26-week skills-based course)
- a two-year training contract with a Scottish solicitors’ firm or other organisation employing solicitors.
Once qualified, you can call yourself a solicitor and can work for a solicitors’ firm or for a range of organisations. Some solicitors also opt to leave the solicitors’ profession and qualify as an advocate.
What skills do I need to become a solicitor?
Communication skills are key if you want to be a solicitor, so you need to write clearly and speak succinctly without ambiguity. Building strong client and colleague relationships is important so you need excellent interpersonal skills. You will frequently work as part of a team, particularly at a large firm, so you need excellent teamworking skills. Other key skills include attention to detail, strong interpersonal skills, initiative, common sense, good judgment, a flexible approach to matters and a flair for negotiating.
Relevant experience can be useful, so get some work experience in a solicitors’ firm. If you’re interested in commercial law, you’ll need business and commercial awareness, and an interest in how businesses work, as you’ll need to understand the issues that influence clients in order to provide suitable advice. If you’re thinking about practising with a smaller firm you’ll need strong multitasking skills, as you’ll be working across different practice areas and juggling multiple workloads and sound people skills.
What skills do I need to become a Scottish advocate?
One very distinct feature of life as a Scottish advocate, and a large part of its appeal, is the advocacy. Advocates need to be comfortable speaking in front of large numbers of people in a clear, impassioned and articulate manner. They also need to be able to inspire those around them, think on their feet and respond quickly to challenges. It’s not a career for the shy or faint hearted!
What is working life like in a Scottish law firm?
Lawyers have a reputation for working all hours, frequently spending weekends at the office and regularly pulling all-nighters. While this is true on occasions for some branches of the profession, there are others that are practically nine-to-five jobs. Where possible, most firms encourage staff to leave on time. If you value time off, aim for one of the quieter practice areas. Solicitors working in large commercial firms should expect to work longer hours, whereas at a regional firm you’ll generally have a better work/life balance.
How much do solicitors in Scotland earn? What benefits will I get?
Starting salaries vary considerably, according to location and the type of firm. The Law Society of Scotland sets a recommended starting salary (£15,965 in the first year and £19,107 in the second), which is reviewed annually. In seeking a newly qualified position you will be in rather a better bargaining position than you were as a trainee, although salaries still will vary. A salary in Scotland of between £25,000 and £35,000 is likely.
Many firms offer excellent benefits when you become a trainee, such as gym membership, private healthcare, life assurance and pension schemes. There may be opportunities for bonuses. As you progress your earnings will increase.
After qualifying as a solicitor, will I be able to work outside Scotland too?
Yes, but it can involve a lot more study. If qualified, you will need to sit an official transfer exam. If you are not yet qualified in Scotland and hold a degree from a Scottish university you will need to do a one-year legal conversion course (known as the common professional examination) to get you up to speed on English law. Once successfully completed you have the option of qualifying as a solicitor or a barrister (equivalent of an advocate). Aspiring solicitors will take a one-year vocational course known as the legal practice course (LPC) followed by a two-year training contract, usually with a firm of solicitors. Budding barristers, in contrast, must complete the one-year Bar professional training course (BPTC, formerly the Bar vocational course (BVC)) followed by a year in one or more barristers’ chambers, known as sets. They’ll then need to find a set from which to practise permanently (known as ‘tenancy’). The process to qualify as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales can be long and expensive so be sure to do your research first.
How does the Scottish legal system differ from the legal system in the rest of UK?
In Scotland, both intending solicitors and advocates complete the same vocational qualification and a period of traineeship with a law firm or in-house. This differs from the situation in England and Wales where the two branches of the profession follow different routes to qualification after the academic stage of training.
Traineeship application FAQs
1. When should I apply for a training contract with a Scottish law firm?
Ideally, you need to start applying for training contracts with Scottish firms up to two years before you’re ready to start your training contract. Based on this, applications for training contracts should be made early on in the final year of your degree (closing dates are firm-specific but most run from October through to January).
2. What’s involved in the traineeship application process?
The selection process usually starts with a online traineeship application form, with CV and covering letter attached. Smaller firms will use the traditional CV and covering letter method. It’s essential to make a good first impression, so do your research and tailor your application to the firm. If the recruiters are impressed, you will be invited for an interview. The structure of interviews varies from firm to firm but you’re likely to be quizzed on why you want to join the firm and your motivations to become a solicitor. A lot of traineeship interview questions tend to be generated from information included on a CV or application form, so be sure to read through these the night before. Some of the larger firms use assessment centres: if you’re invited to one of these you can expect to partake in case studies, a written exercise, presentations and even psychometric testing. You may also be given a tour of the office, which is your chance to see whether the firm would suit you.
3. How competitive is it to get a traineeship in Scotland?
There were 427 traineeships registered in 2009; finding a training contract is very competitive. Recruiters expect excellence and will accept nothing less.
