Why would a Solicitor Advocate QC still instruct QC and junior barristers?

Question

In Serafin v Malkiewicz & Ors [2020] UKSC 23 (3 June 2020), David Price QC, Solicitor Advocate instructed two QC and a junior barrister for the appellants. But then what's the point of the Solicitor Advocate? Why didn't the Solicitor Advocate appear instead of the junior barrister?

If the Solicitor Advocate felt unqualified to appear at the UKSC, then why hire the Solicitor Advocate at all in the first place?

Solicitor-advocate or barrister? | Opinion | Law Gazette

The role of a solicitor-advocate can depend on the area of law. In family cases, the solicitor who wishes to use their rights of audience will see a case right through to final hearing, preparing the case and cross-examining witnesses. Criminal solicitor- advocates can sometimes do the same, although being a full-time solicitor-advocate in crime can mean you are instructed by a firm in the same way as a barrister. If you work ‘in-house’ you will be kept busy with advocacy if you choose to use your rights of audience. You would therefore not see the case through from beginning to end, but it is more likely you will be involved in every hearing – hence keeping a healthy continuity for the client.

What is a Solicitor Advocate? How Do I Become One? - The Lawyer Portal

A solicitor advocate is, in basic terms, someone who is fully qualified as a solicitor but has gained the same rights of audience as a barrister by obtaining an extra qualification.

Answer 1

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

I’m a professional electrical engineer and a licensed electrician. That means I can do electrical wiring but most electricians who do nothing else can do it quicker, better and neater than I can.

Just because a solicitor-advocate can do the job of a barrister doesn’t mean that’s in their client’s best interest.