The job of a solicitor requires much more than just a law certificate. A solicitor is the first contact person for a civilian when he faces legal matters such as property issues, marital issues, criminal proceedings, or other such issues. Dealing with these issues demands considerable skills that a right solicitor must possess.
John Szepietowski, a well-recognized and acknowledged solicitor in the UK, is the perfect example for anyone aspiring to be a solicitor. He is a highly experienced solicitor and covers a wide range of fields such as crime, litigation, finance, and banking, will trusts, and many more. As described by one of his clients, "His [#JohnSzepietowski] approach to resolving legal problems is like that of a Chess Master, employing all the strengths of his team and thinking and planning five steps……”.
According to #JohnSzepietowski, becoming the right solicitor requires an immense amount of hard work, and the process is very challenging. Most of the people are not up to the challenge and discard solicitor as a potential career. But among them are people who knowingly accept the challenge and chose to pursue solicitor as a career. John Szepietowski guides those minds on how to become a solicitor as good and successful as him.
#JohnSzepietowski himself explains the process of becoming a solicitor in the following points.
1. Qualifying degree
The first step towards becoming a solicitor is to achieve a qualifying degree. There are two such degrees that a person may complete in order to become a solicitor. These degrees provide knowledge and theory about the law and how a solicitor deals with his job. A person may opt for any of the two degrees as their first step towards becoming a solicitor.
• GDL:
Graduate Law Diploma, GDL is a prerequisite course for people who did not study law at the undergraduate level. It introduces a person to the law and tells what a person may expect from it. #JohnSzepietowski says that this gives a massive boost to the people who made their minds a bit later in opting for this field. GDL fills them up on the information they missed out on in their undergraduate years.
• LLB:
People who studied law at the undergraduate level should opt for an LLB program. The LLB program can enhance a person's knowledge about law immensely. According to #JohnSzepietowski, a person can choose from different law degrees but should make sure that it will qualify. E.g., a student studies some compulsory courses such as criminal law to qualify.
2. Legal Practice Course (LPC):
This is an essential phase on the path to solicitor, as per #JohnSzepietowski. This is the step where all the learned knowledge is implemented practically. Most of the students find law firms as sponsors and gain experience under their umbrella.
An essential skill for a solicitor can identify what the situation requires. A person should use all his knowledge to figure out what applies best in the given conditions and what does not work in those conditions.
Third-year students are often looked for by firms, so students should keep that in mind.
In case an individual is unable to affiliate themselves with a firm and get a contract of training with them, the option of a self-financed LPC is always available at hand. However, it requires much budget and should always be kept in the back of mind if an opportunity does not strike.
3. Period of Recognized Training:
After gaining knowledge about the field through the degree and getting a taste of the area through LPC, a student gets ready to face the practical world. Each applicant needs to accomplish a full two years of training as an integral part of a company.
In this phase, the students work to improve their core abilities. They identify their strengths and weaknesses and also choose the path that would become their major. John Szepietowski believes that this kind of challenges give the applicants the true meaning of the practical world and opens their mind about what is to come.
Besides, to meet the challenges, companies offer the students opportunities in the second half-year of their studies. A student should keep an eye on these opportunities as they could prove valuable for them.
4. Qualification:
Once students are done with the academics and get practical exposure, they become eligible to become a solicitor. The next step is to get themselves admitted in the roll through SRA. After getting registered from SRA, applicants must play their part as a professional solicitor in the competitive world.
All of this procedure takes around six years, Nevertheless paid back at the end.