Setting Up Practice

Prima Nocte · 04-12-2012 12:46pm #1

Hi just wondering how long it would take before I could set up my own law practice? I'm due to graduate this year. So I take it I would have to qualify as a solicitor first and then go from there. How long should the process take?

Procrastastudy · 04-12-2012 1:18pm

2 years (on average) to do the FE1s, 24 months PPC (IIRC) a few years working for a firm building up experience and money for the GIGANTIC insurance premiums you will have to pay - assuming your not loaded.

Probably around ten years or so?

OP all guess work on my part - I'm more looking to go down the Bar route which might be worth looking at if you want to be self employed.

Prima Nocte · 04-12-2012 1:24pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

2 years (on average) to do the FE1s, 24 months PPC (IIRC) a few years working for a firm building up experience and money for the GIGANTIC insurance premiums you will have to pay - assuming your not loaded.

Probably around ten years or so?

OP all guess work on my part - I'm more looking to go down the Bar route which might be worth looking at if you want to be self employed.

Everyone seems to be of the opinion that the bar route is a waste of time given the shortage of work in the country. Tbh I would prefer that route to solicitor but I haven't yet met a person who has encouraged that route as a profession besides you.

FreudianSlippers · 04-12-2012 1:28pm

IMO being a barrister is the best job in the world; if you can get paid to do it. That's the tricky part.

Prima Nocte · 04-12-2012 1:32pm

Are there any other countries where one can go down the bar route?

Procrastastudy · 04-12-2012 1:33pm

Prima Nocte wrote: »

Everyone seems to be of the opinion that the bar route is a waste of time given the shortage of work in the country. Tbh I would prefer that route to solicitor but I haven't yet met a person who has encouraged that route as a profession besides you.

Well it's true working as a solicitor is the better bet for financial security but you seem to want to open your own practice. If you're willing to put in the graft would it not be more advantageous to set yourself on a career to try and make partner in an established firm? In all honesty I have no idea what that entails - I'd think a good 20 years but I welcome someone's input who knows. At least during those years you would be paid.

The bar route means you are 'self employed' from day 1. True there is bugger all work and the few people I know struggle. There is actually some good threads on here via the search function where a good discussion on Barrister earnings over the first ten years. To summarise a career in retail is going to pay significantly more for a fraction of the effort.

Don't underestimate how difficult it's going to be 'getting in the door' of a solicitors firm for a training contract, let alone a job. That said there have been some discussions that this is, although still tough, getting easier.

All of this has to be read in light of the Legal Services Bill which might change the professions beyond recognition.

Procrastastudy · 04-12-2012 1:35pm

Prima Nocte wrote: »

Are there any other countries where one can go down the bar route?

England & Wales, US (although not a separate profession), Ghana ...

What are you looking for OP?

PS the situation in the UK is apparently that it's nigh on impossible to get chambers as a Barrister but comparatively easy to get work as a solicitor.

FreudianSlippers · 04-12-2012 1:36pm

Prima Nocte wrote: »

Are there any other countries where one can go down the bar route?

Yes, we have quite a large neighbour to our north and east that has barristers. Canada and Australia do too AFAIK.

Competition is fierce in the UK and I would imagine equally so in Canada and Oz.

At the end of the day, do what you want to do. You aren't pigeonholed in either profession if you don't want to be and with the proposed Legal Services Regulation Bill there may be far more opportunities for employed barristers and advocate solicitors in the near future. That being said, it is an awful time to be getting into the legal profession in any country IMO.

Edit: beaten to it. Long story short if I was doing it all again today, I would probably choose Blackhall. But I don't regret going to the inns at all.

ResearchWill · 04-12-2012 1:38pm

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

IMO being a barrister is the best job in the world; if you can get paid to do it. That's the tricky part.

Nail squarely hit on head, once it's making you a living it really is a great job. Says he who just finished a 9 day legal aid indictment.

Procrastastudy · 04-12-2012 1:41pm

Now you've upset the barristers OP - woe betide you!

johnnyskeleton · 04-12-2012 4:02pm

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

IMO being a barrister is the best job in the world; if you can get paid to do it. That's the tricky part.

As a test pilot who moonlights in the beer tasting and hr department of hooters, I respectfully disagree.

04-12-2012 4:15pm

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

As a test pilot who moonlights in the beer tasting and hr department of hooters, I respectfully disagree.

Beer taster at Hooters would be a pretty **** job, like being a urinal cake taster in Temple Bar.

Combine that with test pilot is a tricky one too I'd imagine!

johnnyskeleton · 04-12-2012 9:59pm

Kayroo wrote: »

Beer taster at Hooters would be a pretty **** job, like being a urinal cake taster in Temple Bar.

I think you're missing the point!

Combine that with test pilot is a tricky one too I'd imagine!

There's a learning curve. It can be quite a handful at times. Often, it goes a bit pear shaped, but sometimes it's actually gravity-defying.

chops018 · 04-12-2012 10:15pm

I know this is derailing a bit but I always wondering what way do Barristers get holidays?

Procrastastudy · 04-12-2012 10:26pm

chops018 wrote: »

I know this is derailing a bit but I always wondering what way do Barristers get holidays?

Hard to know if you're taking the mic or not

Reloc8 · 04-12-2012 10:32pm

chops018 wrote: »

I know this is derailing a bit but I always wondering what way do Barristers get holidays?

Change the voicemail to '**** off losers' and ride away into the sunset on a horse made of money. Come back whenever feel like it.

chops018 · 04-12-2012 10:33pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Hard to know if you're taking the mic or not

I'm actually not haha. I never really looked into the holiday aspect of things, I was always more focused on what work is done etc. suppose they wouldn't really get them set as such would they, and I suppose they could indeed be working through them?

johnnyskeleton · 04-12-2012 10:41pm

chops018 wrote: »

I'm actually not haha. I never really looked into the holiday aspect of things, I was always more focused on what work is done etc. suppose they wouldn't really get them set as such would they, and I suppose they could indeed be working through them?

They can take them whenever they want, as they're self employed, but usually aim for quiet periods eg during court vacations.

NoQuarter · 04-12-2012 11:03pm

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

They can take them whenever they want, as they're self employed, but usually aim for quiet periods eg during court vacations.

But thats when I go full time in McDonalds and make my real bread for the year!

Procrastastudy · 04-12-2012 11:40pm

NoQuarter wrote: »

But thats when I go full time in McDonalds and make my real bread for the year!

I'm hoping to keep a lucrative sales job going. After speaking to a friend it seems the job rules have been relaxed somewhat? I even watched Glengarry Glenross again. The Argentina comment gave me a bit of a giggle given a certain solicitors antics.

ResearchWill · 05-12-2012 9:00am

chops018 wrote: »

I know this is derailing a bit but I always wondering what way do Barristers get holidays?

Like every other self employed person, unpaid or as many younger barristers call the long vacation "enforced unemployment" but in reality for many barristers there is still work to do even when courts are off.

Reloc8 · 05-12-2012 11:15am

Its fair to say that the courts are idle for a substantial chunk of the calendar year but most senior practitioners take fairly normal holidays (couple of weeks over the summer, a week or so at christmas).

The court breaks afford an opportunity to address drafting, other paper work and more and more arbitrations and mediations are fixed within those periods as well, not to mention applications of an urgent nature which have to be made. Anyone with a busy practice is not going to shut up shop during the vacations. You just don't have to wear the Harry Potter costume is the only real difference.

Grolschevik · 05-12-2012 1:09pm

Prima Nocte wrote: »

Hi just wondering how long it would take before I could set up my own law practice? I'm due to graduate this year. So I take it I would have to qualify as a solicitor first and then go from there. How long should the process take?

Procrastastudy wrote: »

2 years (on average) to do the FE1s, 24 months PPC (IIRC) a few years working for a firm building up experience and money for the GIGANTIC insurance premiums you will have to pay - assuming your not loaded.

Probably around ten years or so?

OP all guess work on my part - I'm more looking to go down the Bar route which might be worth looking at if you want to be self employed.

I know a guy set up on his own last year, and he qualified in 2008.

Procrastastudy · 05-12-2012 1:16pm

Grolschevik wrote: »

I know a guy set up on his own last year, and he qualified in 2008.

Qualified; as in started the training contract or finished it?

Grolschevik · 05-12-2012 1:20pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Qualified; as in started the training contract or finished it?

Got his parchment; fully qualified as a solicitor.

Reloc8 · 05-12-2012 1:21pm

Seems legit - isn't there a 3 year limit before you can set up your own firm ?

Grolschevik · 05-12-2012 1:28pm

Reloc8 wrote: »

Seems legit - isn't there a 3 year limit before you can set up your own firm ?

I think so.

Procrastastudy · 05-12-2012 1:42pm

Not far wrong then for total guess work

. Assuming I'm right in thinking the average time taken to do all 8 FE1s and find a training contract is 2 years?

PPC is 24 months isn't it?

ResearchWill · 05-12-2012 2:21pm

Reloc8 wrote: »

Seems legit - isn't there a 3 year limit before you can set up your own firm ?

No time limit in ireland unlike England & Wales, you can open your practice the day after you are on the roll.

Grolschevik · 05-12-2012 2:30pm

ResearchWill wrote: »

No time limit in ireland unlike England & Wales, you can open your practice the day after you are on the roll.

So it appears! I thought there was a limit in the past, but maybe I'm wrong?

Currently:

Post-qualification experience prior to setting up in practice

It is the Society's policy to encourage newly qualified solicitors to obtain a minimum of one year's experience in an established practice prior to setting up on their own.

The Solicitors Acts enable the Law Society to make regulations in the future regarding a period of minimum post-qualification experience/training which will then be required prior to setting up in practice.[1]

1. "Restrictions following admission as solicitor on practising as sole practitioner" - Section 37 of the Solicitors (Amendment)
Act, 1994.

http://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/committees/guidance/settingup07.pdf

Setting Up Practice

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