The rules covered here shape everything you will do as a solicitor — from the work you are allowed to take on, to how you qualify and stay qualified, to the standards you must meet every day. Knowing where the legal lines fall protects you, your firm and your clients, because crossing some of them is a criminal offence and falling short of others can end a career. This is the foundation that the rest of professional practice sits on.
What this lesson covers:
- The Legal Profession and its Regulators — the split profession of solicitors and barristers, and who oversees and regulates them.
- Reserved Legal Activities — the six categories of work only authorised or exempt people may carry out, and why the line matters.
- Authorised and Exempt Persons — the two-stage test for whether someone may lawfully do a legal activity, and who counts as exempt.
- Becoming and Practising as a Solicitor — qualifying through the SQE route, the roll, practising certificates, and the protected title.
- Principles, Discipline and Complaints — the seven SRA Principles, the sanctions for misconduct, and how poor service complaints are handled.