In England and Wales, a solicitor is a qualified legal professional who provides their clients with expert legal advice and representation, usually in more day-to-day matters. It's their job to take instructions from a client and advise them on the best course of action.
While some solicitors have a general practice, meaning their experience and skills cover a range of judicial areas, most solicitors tend to practice a specific area of the law, such as litigation, conveyancing, probate, family law or business law.
Generally, solicitors' areas of expertise can be divided into two categories - contentious and non-contentious. The former relates to dispute resolution, whereas the latter - non-contentious (sometimes known as transactional) - deals more with business or personal matters.