Ehsan Kabir Solicitor - Career and work of a lawyer

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Career and work of a lawyer
Ehsan Kabir Solicitor
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• Becoming a lawyer in England
• Differences between the legal systems in Poland
  and England
• Split profession how the peculiar division
  works
• Career and work of a lawyer
• Education and training
• Differences between law firms
• Type of work done by lawyers

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• QS World University Ranking most famous,
  considers over 2000 universities worldwide
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Harvard
• Cambridge
• University College London (UCL)
• Imperial College London
• Oxford
• Stanford
• Yale
• University of Chicago
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

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English universities and studying in England

• Higher education structure
• Undergraduate courses bachelor degrees
• BA
• BSc
• LLB
• Graduate courses master degrees
• MA
• MSc
• LLM
• Post-graduate courses - PhD
• BUT note the different approaches to graduate
  courses in Poland and in England

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Becoming a lawyer in England

• Differences between the legal systems in Poland
  and England
• Europe civil law systems
• Based on codes / statute law
• Laws drafted by parliament
• England and Wales common law system
• Also contain statute law but key emphasis on
  case law
• Laws created by parliament AND by courts
• Example contract law

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Becoming a lawyer in England

• Split profession
• Peculiar, historic division
• No single lawyer instead two professions
  barristers and solicitors

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Becoming a lawyer in England

• Barristers
• Specialise in advise and advocacy
• Only barristers have right of audience
• BUT members of the public cannot go directly to
  barristers

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Becoming a lawyer in England

• Solicitors
• Members of the public must go to a solicitor
• Solicitor then instructs a barrister on behalf of
  the client
• Work is more transactional
• Draft and negotiate contracts
• Manage transactions

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Becoming a lawyer in England

• Becoming a barrister
• 1 year of BPTC (Bar Professional Training Course)
• 1 year of pupillage (working at a barrister firm)
• Becoming a solicitor
• 1 year LPC (Legal Practice Course)
• 2 years of training contract (working at a law
  firm)

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Career and work of a lawyer Education and
training

• 2 ways to get into law
• Traditional route
• 3 years of law at university
• Alternative route
• 3 years of any degree at university
• 2 years of GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law)
• Followed by
• 1 year of LPC / BPTC
• Pupillage / training contract
• Qualify as barrister / solicitor

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Career and work of a lawyer Education and
training

• Differences between Poland and England

Poland England
5 years of university 3 years of university
Master degree Bachelor degree
8 types of aplikacja (adwokacka, radcowska, sadowa, prokuratorska, komornicza, notarialna, legislacyjna, ogólna) Two courses (BPTC or LPC)
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Career and work of a lawyer Education and
training

• NOTE no division between advocates,
  prosecutors, judges
• Barristers are advocates and prosecutors
• Barristers are appointed judges MUST first
  train as barristers
• NOTE no separate notary profession
• Notarisation not a legal requirement in England
• NOTE bailiffs
• Separate profession but not considered a strictly
  legal profession
• Must only obtain a special certificate
• Different status than that in Poland

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Career and work of a lawyer Differences between
law firms

• Magic Circle Allen Overy, Clifford Chance,
  Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters,
  Slaughter and May
• Silver Circle Ashurst, Berwin Leighton Paisner,
  Herbert Smith Freehills, King Wood Mallesons SJ
  Berwin, Macfarlanes, Travers Smith
• Other firms
• American law firms
• Niche firms
• In-house counsel

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Solicitor career progress

• Trainee solicitor 2 years
• Newly qualified junior associate 2-3 years
• Associate 2-3 years
• Senior associate 2-3 years
• Partner
• Law firms are limited liability partnerships
  (spólka komandytowa in Poland)
• No salary, owns part of the business (akin to
  shareholder in a company)

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Solicitor type of work done by lawyers

• International firms e.g. Allen Overy LLP 43
  offices in 30 countries worldwide (including
  Warsaw)
• Clients are international work has cross-border
  aspects
• One transaction almost always involves two or
  more offices
• International opportunities
• Secondments international and client

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Solicitor type of work done by lawyers

• Reviewing financial statements, balance sheets
  and profit and loss accounts
• Calculating financial ratios
• Reviewing and drafting due diligence reports
• Setting up companies
• Drafting board minutes and shareholder
  resolutions
• Assisting companies in IPOs (Initial Public
  Offering) / floatation on stock exchange
• Checking if prospectuses and offering circulars
  conform to legal requirements

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Solicitor type of work done by lawyers

• Drafting contracts for financial instruments
  bonds, derivates, swaps, etc
• Negotiating contractual terms
• Reviewing and drafting leases
• Registering security
• Giving tax, employment, banking, corporate, etc
  advice
• Assisting companies during their insolvency
• Issuing legal opinions

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Questions?