Monday 1st September 2025 will mark for me 30 years on the roll as a solicitor of England & Wales and also a member of The Law Society. I have spent more of my life years as a solicitor than not as a solicitor. It is a weird feeling because I remember the first time I went to court, several of the cases that I dealt with over the years, the people, the faces, the families and the tough times. The workplace place has changed beyond all recognition from when I started work in a solicitor’s office in 1988 before going to university. The way a solicitor works has changed significantly from that time.
However, there are core aspects of being a solicitor that have not changed for me. I think they form the essence and ethical heart of what it means to be a solicitor. Solicitors have been around since the 15th Century and by 1749, an early law mandated oaths, formal admissions, and the filing of articles of clerkship to set out the requirements to become a solicitor. Fast forward through 1825 when The Law Society was formed and then the granting of a Royal Charter in 1845 to the Solicitors’ Act 1974, which sets out the present day requirements for a solicitor to hold professional qualifications and a practising certificate.
I asked AI what the key attributes of a good solicitor were and the reply was Key attributes of a solicitor in England include in-depth legal knowledge, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent communication abilities (written and oral), high levels of organisation and time management, commercial awareness, unwavering ethical conduct and personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively under pressure. They must also demonstrate strong attention to detail, possess good IT skills, and be committed to the principles of the rule of law and public trust in the profession. All of this holds true for me.
There are lots of lawyer jokes and comments about solicitors. It took me 4 years to get good O Levels and A Levels as they were then, 3 years at university, 1 year at Law School and 2 years of articles (a bit like an apprenticeship). That’s 10 years to get to say ‘I am a solicitor’, with more exams than I can shake a stick at and all sorts of jobs to fund it.
I still feel privileged to be able to do what I do and to help people. I give back to my community through voluntary work because people have helped me and I want to do the same for others. I’m no good at anything practical (other than knitting, sewing and baking), so I can’t fix cars, electrics, washing machines, build stuff but I can do law so that’s what I can offer.
Whoever said that if you do what you love for a living, it never feels like a job or a chore was bang on. See you for the 40th anniversary.