Solicitors in the 19th Century

548 Words2 Pages

The Middle Man: Solicitors in the 19 th Century

“I have been, Eugene, upon the honourable roll of solicitors of the

High Court of Chancery, and attorneys at Common Law . . .”

--Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend

The Profession

* There were two branches of the legal profession - barristers, and attorneys and solicitors. Solicitors usually dealt with landed estates and attorneys advised parties in lawsuits. The two roles combined and the name “solicitor” was adopted (The Law Society). The attorney or solicitor was the general legal adviser and attended to all the paperwork and collected the evidence. He dealt with legal matters on behalf of his client such as the drawing up of wills, trust instruments, marriage contracts, and conveyances of land (Eurolegal Services).

In Society

* Beginning in the 19th century, the bar became a referral profession; members of the bar did not deal directly with members of the public but took their instructions only from solicitors (Eurolegal Services).

* C. W. Brooks suggests that the “lower branch” (legal professions be...

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