The role of the solicitor in business life

The image of the solicitor in the 19th century was that of an important person. He had many roles : merchant banker, financial advisor and stock exchange dealer. Nowadays, other professions have taken over some of these roles. The solicitor has a more circumscribed role, although no transaction or property transfer can take place without him. He resolves issues relating to inheritance. The solicitor is the only person who can issue authenticated deeds, and these documents, which have legal value in French law courts, are central to French civil law. Whereas in Anglo-Saxon countries there is no place for a solicitor in common law, in France and in many other countries, the solicitor plays an essential part in dealing with issues of patrimony, the property market, and hence business life.