Differences Between An Accident Solicitor And An Accident Lawyer

Whats the difference between an Accident Solicitor and an Accident Lawyer or indeed, the difference between a Solicitor and a Lawyer?

When people search for a legal service, there is sometimes confusion between the definitions of ‘lawyer’ and ‘solicitor’. At Seatons, we have both solicitors and lawyers that work in our Corby and Kettering Offices and this gives us sufficient scope to deal with a wide range of cases.

But what is the fundamental difference between a Solicitor and a Lawyer?

The simple way of looking at it is that the term ‘lawyer’ applies as an umbrella term for anyone in the legal profession. The term ‘solicitor’ therefore, also falls under the definition of ‘lawyer’. But a ‘lawyer’ can also refer to many other aspects of the legal profession including Chartered Legal Executives, Licensed Conveyancers, Litigators and Legal Clerks.

One of the primary differences is that each type of lawyer is governed by its own regulatory body. For instance, Legal Executives are regulated by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) and Solicitors are overseen by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. In addition, Licensed Conveyancers are regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers whilst the Bar Standards Board regulates the Barrister profession.

Another main distinction is that the training to become a Chartered Legal Executive is different to the training route to become a Solicitor. Solicitors are required to undertake the Legal Practice Course under the guidance of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which often includes a wider range of compulsory legal practice subjects. Chartered Legal Executives, on the other hand, frequently specialise in one particular legal practice subject and study to an advanced level. Again, the distinction is not too large from a practical perspective as most lawyers, whether it be Solicitors or Legal Executives, tend to specialise in only a few legal areas eventually.

We hope this helps to explain what the difference between a solicitor and a lawyer is. For more information, feel free to contact either our Corby office on 01536 276300 or our Kettering office on 01536 311690 or contact us online.