Vocabulary Notes. Vice-Chancellor (VC)a judge who is vice president of the Chancery Division of the High Court

Vice-Chancellor (VC) a judge who is vice president of the Chancery Division of the High Court. The Vice Chancellor is by statute responsible to the Lord Chancellor for the organization and management of the business of the Division and is ex officio a member of the Court of Appeal.

Chancery Division the work of the Division is principally concerned with matters relating to real property, trusts, and the administration of estates but also includes cases concerned with company law, patents and other intellectual property, and confidentiality cases.

Lord Chief Justice of England (LCJ) the chief judge of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court. He ranks second only to the Lord Chancellor in the judicial hierarchy. The LCJ is ex officio a member of the Court of Appeal and is President of its Criminal Division.

Court of Appeal the Court exercises appellate jurisdiction over all judgements and orders of the High Court and most determinations of judges of the county courts. In some cases the Court of Appeal is the court of last resort, but in most cases its decisions can be appealed to the House of Lords, with permission of the Court of Appeal or the House of Lords. The Court is divided into a Civil Division (presided over by the Master of the Rolls) and a Criminal Division (presided over by the Lord Chief Justice).

House of Lords (the Upper House) scrutinizes legislation and has judicial functions. The house is presided over by the Lord Chancellor and its business is arranged, in consultation with the Opposition, by a government minister appointed Leader of the House. The House of Lords was the final court of appeal in the UK in both civil and criminal cases, although it referred some cases to the European Court of Justice for a ruling.

Reading Comprehension

Exercises

I. Scanning.

1. Find out the number of parts in this chapter. Give their titles.

2. Find in the text the place explaining the reasons of unpopularity of lawyers and of legal profession as such.

3. Find out the information about codes of professional conduct for lawyers.

4. Find in the text the author’s opinion on lawyer’s role in the course of

trial.

5. Find in the text the information about legal aid system.

6. Find in the text the information about a new system of payment of

fees.

7. Find in the text the information about legal advice clinics and Law

Offices.

8. Find out the information about two main legal privileges.

II. Skimming.