In the English legal system a practising lawyer must hold one of two professional qualifications; s/he must either have been admitted to practice as a solicitor or have been called to the Bar as a barrister. This division of the legal profession is of long standing and each branch has its own characteristic functions as well as a separate governing body and professional rules.
The barrister is usually thought of primarily as an advocate, since this is the work in which s/he is most often engaged. Until 1990, s/he had the virtually exclusive right of audience as an advocate before all the superior courts, and s/he can also appear in the inferior courts. When acting professionally, barristers are known as “counsel”. In total there were, in 1991, 6,901 barristers in practice, a number which is just about small enough to make this branch of the profession a closely-knit unit. This point is significant, bearing in mind that the senior judges in the English legal system have, until now, been drawn exclusively from the ranks of experienced counsel.
Основной идеей текста является …
When acting professionally, barristers are known as “counsel”.
The barrister is usually thought of primarily as an advocate, since this is the work in which s/he is most often engaged.
In the English legal system a practising lawyer must hold one of two professional qualifications.
A practising lawyer must have been admitted to practice as a solicitor or as a barrister.