england-and-wales legal-terms legal-history solicitor
What is the basis for the convention of referring to representative solicitors in the plural?
<p>Often a party’s representative seems to be referred to in formal legal contexts as their “solicitors”, even when it appears to be a single individual who is managing the case on the party’s behalf. Why then is the representative so often referred to as their “solicitors”?</p>

<h2>Because &quot;solicitors&quot; refers to the firm</h2>
<p>Historically, solicitors were only permitted to operate as sole traders or in partnership with other solicitors (but not with any other professionals). Either way, they were referred to as a firm. So when a person is represented, the firm is their &quot;solicitors&quot; plural.</p>
<p>Many jurisdictions have modified these historic practices to allow non-solicitors to be partners and/or to allow solicitors to operate through corporations.</p>
<p>Note that an in-house lawyer for a non-law firm only represents their employer and is not acting as a solicitor to the general public.</p>
