But litigation is only a small part of the work of the solicitor's profession as a whole. Most are involved in commercial work relating to business eg dealing with commercial transactions, corporate matters, land, share and other property dealings.
Most solicitors are graduates with a law degree.
They must also undertake professional training both by a one year Legal Practice Course and then by two years under a training contract with a solicitor in practice. See generally Details of the UK solicitors' profession pages . Solicitors operate mainly in large partnerships. The solicitors' profession is regulated by the Law Society which deals with matters such as training, qualifications and complaints. However, the barrister is to a fair extent independent of the solicitor and can take an independent judgment as to how to conduct the case.