What are the different types of lawyer?
updated on 05 September 2025
One of the key questions to ask yourself is what type of lawyer you want to be. For many, that’ll mean deciding between becoming a solicitor (private practice or in-house) or a barrister. For others, the option to ‘earn while you learn’ as a CILEX Lawyer will appeal.
Simply put, a barrister appears in court, while a solicitor/CILEX Lawyer works in a law firm. All three are ‘lawyers’. However, there are key differences. The stereotype is that barristers are individualists, while solicitors/CILEX Lawyers are team players. While it’s true that a barrister is almost always self-employed and a solicitor/CILEX Lawyer may work in a law firm or business of thousands of people, the reality is more complicated. Barristers often work with each other and with solicitors, and some solicitors/CILEX Lawyers spend many hours on their own drafting documents.
Becoming a solicitor usually takes around six years if studying full time, while becoming a barrister takes around five years – these routes will take slightly longer if you study a non-law degree, followed by a law conversion or non-law focused Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) preparation course.
Deciding which career path would suit you best could be a challenge – factors to bear in mind include your school grades, key interests and career aspirations. Over the page is a brief guide with some key facts that may help you to decide which branch is best suited to you, including the number of practising lawyers and an overview of some of the profession’s diversity stats and salaries.
For more information on diversity in the legal profession, visit LawCareers.Net’s Diversity hub, sponsored by Gowling WLG (UK) LLP.
CILEX
CILEX offers flexible entry and exit points tailored to your previous education and your career goals.
School leavers and those with no previous legal education will start on the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) Foundation stage, to progress to CILEX Paralegal or CILEX Lawyer, depending on your career goals. The CPQ has three levels and you can stop or pause your learning at any time, allowing you to gain recognition for your achievements throughout your journey.
Law graduates take a fast-track route to CILEX Lawyer with the CILEX Graduate Qualification, which takes account of your previous education.
Alternatively, those opting for the apprenticeship route without previous legal experience would start with the paralegal apprenticeship and then progress onto the chartered legal executive apprenticeship to become a CILEX Lawyer.
CILEX has also introduced a new experience-based route to CILEX Chartered Paralegal status, recognising experienced paralegals with no formal qualifications and bringing regulation, standards and professional recognition to this fast-growing career path.
| Solicitors | Barristers | CILEX Lawyers |
|---|---|---|
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As of April 2025, there were 171,112 practising solicitors. |
In 2024, there were 18,141 practising barristers. Of those, 14,518 were self-employed. |
There are approximately 18,000 CILEX members. |
|
More than 60% of solicitors attended a state school, while 20% attended independent/fee-paying schools. |
As of December 2024, 19.4% of barristers attended an independent/fee-paying school in the UK, compared to just 6.5% of school children in England. |
CILEX reports that 77% of its members attended a state school. |
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People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds make up 19% of all solicitors, and 17% at partner level. |
In 2024, people from ethnic minority backgrounds made up 16.1% of all practising barristers. |
People from ethnic minority backgrounds make up around 16% of all CILEX members. |
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Mostly employed in private law firms or in-house, so receive a regular monthly salary. |
Mostly self-employed, so receive irregular (but often substantial) fees. |
Mostly employed in private law firms or in-house, so receive a regular monthly salary. |
|
Work mainly with individuals, companies and barristers. |
Work mainly with solicitors and other barristers. | Work mainly with solicitors and individuals. |
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Office-based, although have some rights of audience (ie, can appear in court like barristers). Engage more in ongoing advisory and one-to-one client work. |
Chambers and court-based. Engage more in one-off advocacy (ie, court cases). |
Office-based, although have some of the same rights of audience as solicitors. Engage more in ongoing advisory and one-to-one client work. |
|
Some solicitors aspire to become partner – that is, part ownership of a firm and entitlement to a percentage of its profits. |
Aspire to become KC – a top barrister, normally instructed in serious and complex cases. |
Should they choose to do so, they can go on to become coroners, judges or partners |
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Trainee salaries vary widely. A small firm could pay first-year trainees around £23,000. Trainees at regional firms earn around £27,000 to £37,000, while City firms pay from £35,000 to as much as £70,000 for second-year trainees. |
In 2025, all pupil barristers must be paid a minimum of £22,019 (outside London) or £24,203 (in London). Many earn much more – upwards of £50,000 in some cases. |
The average salary for a CILEX student is around £32,000, increasing to more than £58,000 for CILEX Lawyers, although this can be significantly higher if you progress to become a partner or senior legal professional. |
