There are at least 38 solicitors trying to get into parliament at this election, in addition to the 25 sitting solicitor MPs seeking re-election (see page 23).Their prospects are, to say the least, mixed.

Liberal Democrat candidate Nigel Boddy, for example, has something of a challenge on his hands taking on Peter Mandelson as the sitting MP for Hartlepool.Mr Boddy, who is 42, took a while to achieve his ambition of becoming a lawyer after a 'hiccup' in his studies at 19.

He became a civil servant in the Department of Employment before taking his law exams as a mature student.

He did his training contract in Sunderland before qualifying in 1999.

He has taken annual leave from his present job with the criminal legal aid practice Nixon Mallon in Middlesbrough to campaign.He does not find it demoralising fighting against a sitting candidate with a 21,000 majority.

'I believe Labour is going to win a second term but I also believe that because we stand for more radical policies, every vote I take off Peter Mandelson will push the government into being more caring,' he says.Mr Boddy also did pro bono work for Magnet Kitchen workers who staged a 20-month battle to get their jobs back after their sacking in a pay dispute.

He adds: 'Being an MP is a precarious life, so even if I won this time, I would keep up my practising certificate, -- you have to have a plan B.'Conservative Jonathan Djanogly faces the somewhat less onerous electoral task of standing in John Major's old seat, where the Conservatives had an 18,500 majority in 1997.Mr Djanogly, who turns 36 just before the election, moved with his wife and two children to Huntingdon after being selected from 250 candidates eager for such a safe seat.

A corporate finance partner with City firm SJ Berwin -- recent work involved Guardian IT's acquisition of Norwegian IT company Allegro, and Schroder Venture Life Sciences and others' financing of the genetic company Oxagen -- he plans to retain an interest in the partnership after the election.'Clearly my parliamentary interests will be my primary concern, but I think it is also important -- when people accuse politicians of being detached from real life -- that I keep my feet on the ground and have access to the real world.'A former City of Westminster councillor, Mr Djanogly stood unsuccessfully at the last election in Oxford East.

'I have wanted a parliamentary career since I was 18, when I realised if you want to see change, you have to get involved.

I never found a political career an impediment to clearing the 2,000 chargeable hours mark -- the trick is to be organised,' Mr Djanogly says.It should also be a case of second time lucky for Labour candidate Ian Lucas who is having his second shot at becoming an MP, this time in the traditional Labour seat of Wrexham, where the majority in 1997 was 11,500.Mr Lucas, 40, is a partner at Stevens Lucas in Oswestry, where he specialises in personal injury and small business partnerships.

He acted for Trevor Rees-Jones, the Princess of Wales' bodyguard, after the Paris crash.'If I am successful, I am going to retire fro m practice but remain as a consultant on the firm's notepaper.

I don't think you can do the two jobs.

Politics has been my hobby for many years and now I have the opportunity to do my hobby as my job,' he says.'I don't think I will miss the law, to be honest.

The days of the high street practitioner -- what I wanted to do -- are gone now in favour of much more specialisation, even in small towns.

However, a lot of skills I learnt in dealing with clients will be useful in dealing with constituents, because I know where to go to get answers,' Mr Lucas adds.More on a knife edge is Liberal Democrat Emily Gasson, who only needs a 2.5% swing to take North Dorset from the Conservatives.Ms Gasson, who is 30, is on public service leave during the campaign from her post running the legal department of South Somerset Homes, one of the country's largest housing associations, where she has been responsible for conveyancing, neighbour nuisance and rent arrears -- which, at times, 'tests my liberalism', she confesses.

She stood unsuccessfully at the last election in Regent's Park and Kensington North in London, while a trainee at solicitors Oliver Fisher.

After she qualified, she moved to Dorset where her family lives, and was selected for the 'target' seat of North Dorset.

She worked for two law firms, Rutter & Rutter in Somerset and Blanchards in Dorset, before joining South Somerset Homes.If she is elected, she will continue working for two months until a replacement is found and then will become a full-time politician.'Becoming an MP has been an ambition for the last six years.

At first you think "I couldn't possibly be an MP", then you discover what they are like, and you think you could do as good a job.

I have always worked in legal aid and now social housing, and it is sheer frustration at the problems policies are creating that finally got me into politics,' Ms Gasson says.In a similar hot-seat is Conservative Neil Lyon, who is standing in Loughborough, one of the key marginal seats in the Midlands, which Labour took from the Conservatives in 1997.Mr Lyon, 33 and a Northamptonshire county councillor, was a property litigator with Shoosmiths in Northampton until 1999, when he was selected for Loughborough and decided to move to the constituency.

Since then, he has worked as company solicitor for a property company and in a non-legal role fund raising for an independent school.It is the first time he has stood for parliament.

He has let his practising certificate lapse, and plans to be a full-time politician if successful.

If not, he may return to practice before trying again for parliament.'I have never been one of those people who are prepared just to sit in their armchair and grumble.

Politics has always been my prime goal and I don't miss the time-sheets or the billing guidelines,' Mr Lyon says.Plaid Cymru is the party of solicitors at the moment, with both the party's president Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is standing down from Westminster to lead his party in the Welsh assembly, and its leader in the House of Commons, Elfyn Llwyd, members of the profession.

Eilian Williams is looking to join them by fighting Mr Jones' Welsh seat of Ynys Mon, which has been held by Plaid Cymru since 1982, with a 6% majority over Labour in 1997.Mr Williams, 51, was narrowly beaten when he stood in the Welsh Assembly elections.

'They were the first ones to come up and that was my preference at the time but I am now quite committed to Westminster.

There is a continuing role for Welsh MPs there, until the Assembly is given greater powers.'He is a partner in D Lloyd Hughes & Eilian S Williams in Holyhead.

The firm is merging with another local firm.

'The situation with franchising is now so onerous, you cannot continue as a two-man firm.'If elected, he will remain as a consultant.

'I think you would be in a position of conflict if you tried to do both jobs -- I couldn't cross-examine constituents and call them fibbers, and expect to last long in the constituency.'I will miss the court work but I won't miss the whole raft of changes that have come over the profession, which have left morale at an all-time low.

If you asked me would I join the legal profession if I had my time again, my answer would be no, not as it is now.'RED TAPE CLAMPS DOWN ON 'SPOILER' PARTIES -- LITERAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE SHOULD BE CONSIGNED TO MEMORY THANKS TO LEGISLATIONEvery general election throws up its own legal controversies as election law is tested.

This year, two pieces of legislation brought in since the 1997 contest are being put through their paces.The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPER) tightens the amount national parties can spend and requires parties to register, to try to prevent confusion among the electorate -- no more Literal Democrat candidates -- while the Representation of the People Act 2000 provides for more flexible voting procedures.David Attfield, solicitor in the media group of City law firm Lovells, says the PPER followed the Neill Commission report on standards in public life.

A political party which puts up candidates in every seat is limited to a fighting fund of a maximum of £19.7 million over the year leading to a general election.However, as the Act has not been in force for a full year before this election, the maximum spend is reduced for the largest parties to around £16 million.

After the campaign, parties must register their election expenses with the Electoral Commission.Mr Attfield explains: 'The most controversial aspect of the Act is the requirement that donations above certain amounts must be registered with the Electoral Commission -- £5,000 in the case of a political party, £1,000 to a local party.

Individual candidates must declare donations of more than £50 because of the greater need for transparency in local funding.

However, in an accident of timing, that only comes into force on 1 July.'The requirement over registering national and constituency donations has only been in place two or three months, but the list on the Electoral Commission's Web site already runs to 30 pages for the two main parties.'The legislation is also intended to stop 'spoiler' parties or candidates.

'You are unlikely to get Real Labour or Literal Democrat candidates because political parties must now register with the Electoral Commission, which means there will be some control over names, as well as revealing who is behind a particular party,' he says.

'If you are standing as an independent and don't want to register, you have to use the word independent in your title.'The Representation of the People Act is a 'very dry piece of legislation' which details changes in the way the electoral roll is maintained and increases the scope for postal votes.

However, Mr Attfield says it also envisages flexible voting, such as having polling stations open over several days -- in France voting is on consecutive Sundays.With turnouts falling, the Act paves the way for experiments, such as 24-hour polling stations and voting on-line, using local elections as guinea pigs.

'While we are in for a traditional election day next Thursday, what has come into force is a little-known clause which band media reports of the results of the exit polls before the polls have closed.

It was felt that if voting went over more than one day, exit poll results could influence voters.

Breaching the ban is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment or fine.'SOLICITOR IS AIMING FOR MANY HAPPY RETURNS -- A DELUGE OF POSTAL VOTES WILL BE ANOTHER HEADACHE FOR RETURNING OFFICER ROGER HARRISRunning an election and ensuring all the legal niceties are adhered to is major task, says Roger Morris, coming up for his fifth election as acting returning officer.Mr Morris, a solicitor and chief executive of Northampton Borough Council, has published a book called Running Elections, co-written with David Monks, chief executive of Huntingdonshire District Council.While the mayor or high sheriff had the ceremonial role of announcing the final results, it is the acting returning officer -- generally the chief executive or other senior officer of the relevant local authority -- who is in day-to-day-command.Mr Morris, who is chairman of the Law Society's diploma board for local government law and practice, says: 'In my case, there are two constituencies in Northampton.

There are 172 polling stations in about 140 different locations.

Each station has two or three staff, so, when you add the people for the count and ancillary staff, there are about 600 people involved on the day.

'We also have to deal with nominations and candidates, checking papers for legal technicalities, while a major new clerical task is organising postal votes.

For the first time, they are available on demand, and are likely to run into several thousand, probably double the amount in 1997.'At the same time, there will be voting in the county council elections.

The voting papers for in the same ballot boxes but are counted the following night.Mr Morris explains: 'There are rules about candidates and expenses, and people try to bring you in to referee, but you have to stand back.

My role is to manage the procedure.

All acting returning officers are conscious at this stage how easy it is for things to go wrong.'-- Running Elections is available from the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.

For more information, tel: 0845 6010649.THE SOLICITOR MPs WHO ARE STANDING IN THE FIRING LINE -- HOPEFULS UP FOR ELECTION AGAIN IN ENGLAND AND WALESTwenty-five solicitors who were MPs during the last parliament are standing for election again in constituencies in England and Wales.The Labour solicitors are Mike O'Brien (Warwickshire North), who was a Home Office minister, Hazel Blears (Salford), a backbencher and chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary motorcycling group, and fellow backbenchers Keith Darvill (Upminster), Andrew Dismore (Hendon) and Harriet Harman (Camberwell and Peckham).Maria Eagle (Liverpool Garston) was parliamentary under-secretary for social security.

Other Labour MPs sat on select committees: Michael Foster (Hastings and Rye) and Helen Jones (Warrington North), education and employment; Alan Hurst (Braintree), agriculture; David Kidney (Stafford), Treasury; and Claire Ward (Watford), culture, media and sport.

Keith Vaz (Leicester East), the minister for Europe, is a solicitor turned barrister.The Conservative solicitors are Richard Ottaway (Croydon South), the shadow Paymaster-General; Gary Streeter (Devon South West), the shadow secretary of state for international development; Nigel Waterson (Eastbourne), the opposition spokesman on environment, transport and the regions; and Stephen O'Brien (Eddisbury), who was parliamentary private secretary to Michael Ancram.David Ruffley (Bury St Edmonds) was on the Treasury select committee, while Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) was opposition spokesman on Scottish constitutional affairs.On the backbenches were arch Euro-sceptic Bill Cash (Stone), Humfrey Malins (Woking), Patrick Nicholls (Teignbridge), John Taylor (Solihull), and Peter Viggers (Gosport).For the Liberal Democrats, John Burnett (Torridge and Devon West) was the party's legal affairs spokesman.Elfyn Llwyd (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy), a solicitor turned barrister, is also standing again, and is the parliamentary leader of Plaid Cymru.SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTSOF THOSE STANDING WITHOUT SEATS TO DEFEND, WHICH SOLICITOR IS THE MONEY ON TO REACH PARLIAMENT?M03,23,40,17 The challengers Seat (held by) Prospects -- CONSERVATIVE Jonathan Djanogly Huntingdon (Con) safe Greg Knight Yorkshire N (Con) safe Alistair Burt Bedfordshire NE (Con) safe Mark Field Cities of London and Westminster (Con) moderately safe Shailesh Vara Northampton S (Lab) needs 1% swing Steve Barclay Lancaster & Wyre (Lab) needs 2.2% Charles Elphicke St Albans (Lab) needs 8.7% Alan Vincent Blackpool North (Lab) needs 9% Neil Lyon Loughborough (Lab) needs 11% David Nuttall Morecambe & Lunesdale (Lab) needs 12% David Jones City of Chester (Lab) needs 18% Marcus Hayes Staffordshire (Lab) Moorlands needs 19% Gillian Shaw Amber Valley (Lab) needs 21% Graeme Quar Stevenage (Lab) needs 22% David Burrowes Edmonton (Lab) needs 30% Nicky Morgan Islington South and Finsbury (Lab) long shot Stephen Hocking Streatham (Lab) long shot Gary Meggit Doncaster (Lab) long shot Richard Powell Rotheram (Lab) long shot -- LABOUR Ian Lucas Wrexham (Lab) safe Stephen Wyeth Winchester (Lib Dem) long shot -- LIBERAL DEMOCRATS Norman Lamb North Norfolk (Con) needs 2% Emily Gasson North Dorset (Con) needs 5% Richard De Ste Croix Southend (Con) needs 5% Neil Fawcett Wantage (Con) needs 10.9% Robert Booker Hampshire east (Con) needs 20% Geyve Walker Penrith & border (Con) needs 20% Peter Maughan Blaydon (Lab) needs 36% Nigel Boddy Hartlepool long shot Chris Bramall Stourbridge (Lab) long shot Bill Chadwick Preston (Lab) long shot Christopher Gaskell Altrincham & Sale (Con) long shot Christopher Noyce Harrow West (Lab) long shot Douglas Taylor Edmonton (Lab) long shot Roger O'Brien Streatham (Lab) long shot Andrew Wiseman Lewisham Deptford (Lab) long shot -- PLAID CYMRU Eilian Williams Ynys Mon (Plaid Cymru) safe -- SOCIALIST ALLIANCE Louise Christian Hornsey & WG (Lab long shot Jim Nichol Blackburn (Lab) long shot