Two Types of Lawyers in Great Britain

Read the text and tell about the difference between solicitors and barristers

The magistrates' court is the most common type of law court in the United Kingdom. The court system is dependent upon the legal profes­sion to make it work. England is almost unique in having two different kinds of lawyers, with separate jobs in the legal system. The two kinds of lawyers are solicitors and barristers. Each branch has its own charac­teristic functions and a separate governing body.

The traditional picture of the English lawyer is that the solicitor is the general practitioner, confined mainly to the office. The solicitor is a legal adviser of the public. Members of the public are able to call at a solicitor's office and seek his advice in a personal interview. The barrister is a specialist adviser much of whose time is taken up with court-room appearance.

The ratio for barristers is about one per every 10, 000. Taking the legal profession as a whole, there is one practicing lawyer per 1, 200 people. But a lot of work in English solicitors' offices is undertaken by managing clerks, now called " legal executives" who are the third type of lawyers.

Thus, solicitors make up the largest branch of the legal profession in England. They are found in every town, where they deal with all the day-to­day work of preparing legal documents for buying and selling houses, making wills, etc. Solicitors also work on court cases for their clients, prepare cases for barristers to present in the higher court, and may represent their client in a magistrates' court. Barristers defend or prosecute in the higher courts.

Although solicitors and barristers work together on cases, barristers specialize in representing clients in court and the training and career structures for the two types of lawyers are quite separate. In court, barris­ters wear wigs and gowns in keeping with the extreme formality of the proceedings. There are a few hundred judges trained as barristers, who preside in more serious cases. There is no separate training for judges.

A jury consists of twelve people (" jurors"), who are ordinary people chosen at random from the list of people who can vote in elections. The jury listens to the evidence given in court in certain criminal cases and decides whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. If the person is found guilty, the punishment is passed by the presiding judge. Juries are rarely used in civil cases.

Magistrates judge cases in the lower courts. They are usually unpaid and have no formal legal qualifications, but they are respectable people who are given some training.

Answer the following questions:

a) What is the most common type of law court in the United Kingdom?

b) What is the court system dependent upon?

c) What are the two major kinds of lawyers in England?

d)What is the third type of lawyers?

e) What kind of problems does a solicitor deal with?

f) How can you become a solicitor?

g) Is judge a separate profession?

h) Are magistrates paid salaries?

i) What cases are juries used in?