The legal system in England and Wales is divided into two distinct branches: solicitors and barristers. Other legal professions in the country include acting as a judge, attorney general, or director of public prosecution. Additionally, defense lawyers are a new class of professionals with the training and legal experience necessary to appear before higher courts, so in some cases a lawyer is not required. There are many more qualified lawyers in the UK than there are lawyers. The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) was created to provide a fast track for lawyers from foreign jurisdictions recognized by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) who wanted to practice as lawyers in England and Wales.
Depending on their specialization, litigants may deal with disciplinary and regulatory issues, such as governance and anti-doping; labor lawyers may handle athletes' contracts; and commercial contract lawyers may manage brand management, media rights, and sponsorship agreements. Legal executives in England and Wales (also known as “interns”) are fully qualified lawyers in a specialized area and perform work similar to that of a lawyer or other normal activities of a lawyer when supervised by a member of that profession. If the qualified foreign lawyer has regularly exercised, for a period of at least three years, the right of hearing in courts that administer the law in a manner substantially similar to the common law of England and Wales, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) will grant them exemption from academic and professional stages. If you are already a practicing lawyer in your home jurisdiction and want to work in the United Kingdom, you must pass the SQE exams to practice in England and Wales.
