Generally, you will be expected to work hard and take responsibility for your own clients without constant supervision. To find out more about what it might be like you can read our profiles of solicitors working in different law firms. It is now a Law Society requirement that every solicitor should be constantly updating their skills and knowledge, and that formally assessed training should not end with the training contract. The requirement is 16 hours a year for the first three years after qualification and a total of 48 hours for each subsequent three year period. This CPD requirement can be met using a variety of methods including correspondence courses, courses based on television or video programmes and assessments based on editorial from journals.
Law firms are partnerships, and are therefore owned and managed by the partners.
How long it will take you to become a partner will depend on both you and the firm you are at. Generally you can expect to wait up to eight or more years for partnership at a large commercial firm and perhaps only four years at a smaller, less commercially-orientated firm. You should also bear in mind that many law firms operate a 'lockstep' partnership system. This means that as a new equity partner you will not have the same share of the profits as a more senior partner. One recent development within the profession, especially amongst the larger commercial firms, is that partnership is no longer seen as a life-long tie to one law firm.