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. Most barristers are law graduates and they likewise undergo professional training through a Bar Vocational Course and through a pupillage with a qualified barrister. The Bar Council regulates the work of barristers Delai Venables has extensive Barristers on the World Wide Web pages . Executives Legal executives are legally qualified professionals employed largely by solicitors and ususally specialising in a given area of law.