The
Call to the Bar is a legal
term of art in most
common law jurisdictions. Common law jurisdictions were all at one time part of the
British Empire. Being
called to the Bar has its origin in the royal
summons that was issued to one seen fit to serve in the royal court at the monarch's pleasure. Such
jurisdictions distinguish two types of
lawyers:
- Barristers have a right of audience in the higher courts (the House of Lords, Court of Appeal, High Court, Crown Court and County Courts);
- All Solicitors have a right of audience in the lower courts (High Court and County Courts when sitting "in chambers" (i.e. not in a public hearing) and are permitted to conduct litigation and practise in law outside court, e.g. providing legal advice to lay clients and acting on their behalf in legal matters. Solicitors with "higher rights" have the same rights of audience as barristers. In practice, most solicitors practicising in contentious areas acquire higher rights within two years of qualification as a matter of course.
Those who are not solicitors, but have been licensed to argue in court, are said to have been
"called to the Bar" or to have received a
"call to the Bar". In the
legal system of England and Wales, a lawyer is not permitted to be both a solicitor and a barrister. In other jurisdictions, the precise terminology and the degree of overlap between the two roles varies greatly: in most, the formal distinction has disappeared entirely.
A call ceremony takes place at the barrister's
Inn of Court, usually in the lawyer's
pupillage year. A barrister is initially called to the
utter ("outer") Bar. This is in contrast to "inner barristers" - an old-fashioned name for student barristers because they formally sat on the "inner" tables at Hall, during dinners,
debates and
moots. "Utter" barristers - both junior Counsel and Queen's Counsel - would sit on the outermost tables, and Benchers of the Inn (rather like Fellows of other institutions) would sit at High Table. Confusingly, in Court the "Utter Bar" only refers to junior barristers and "the inner Bar" are those who have taken silk, and are allowed to plead from "inside the Bar" in Court.
For
solicitors, the equivalent is to be "
admitted as a solicitor", "
enrolled as a solicitor" or "
admitted and enrolled as a solicitor".
Particular jurisdictions
Common law jurisdictions include
Australia,
England and Wales, New Zealand,
Hong Kong,
India, the
Republic of Ireland,
Northern Ireland, and most other jurisdictions in the
Commonwealth of Nations, and the
United States.
- Canada: In common law Canadian provinces, despite the unified legal profession (lawyers are qualified as both barristers and solicitors), the certificate issued by the provincial Law Society to the newly-qualified lawyer generally indicates he or she having been called to the Bar and admitted as a solicitor. In the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, there are in fact two certificates issued by the respective provincial Law Society: one for call to the Bar, and the other for admission as a solicitor. In Quebec, the civil law notary is very similar to the solicitor.
- New Zealand: As in Canada, the legal profession is fused. A lawyer in New Zealand is admitted as a "Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand". Once admitted, New Zealand lawyers are able to practise in either mode provided they hold a practicing certificate. Admission is overseen by one of the fourteen District Law Societies.
- United States: Generally, lawyers are said to have been "admitted to the Bar" and become "attorney and counselor at law" upon taking their oath of office. Historically, the institution of attorney was similar to that of the solicitor, whereas the office of the counselor was almost identical to that of the barrister, but today this distinction has disappeared. The phrase "called to the Bar" is still sometimes used informally by US attorneys to refer to their qualification as a lawyer.
See also
Technical terminology is the specialized vocabulary of a field. These terms have specific definitions within the field, which is not necessarily the same as their meaning in common use.
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In common law legal systems, the law is created and/or refined by judges: a decision in the case currently pending depends on decisions in previous cases and affects the law to be applied in future cases.
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British Empire was the largest empire in history and for a substantial time was the foremost global power. It was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century, that sparked the era of the European colonial empires.
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summons is a legal document issued by a court (a judicial summons) or by an administrative agency of government (an administrative summons) for various purposes.
Judicial summons
A judicial summons is addressed to a defendant in a legal proceeding.
..... Click the link for more information. jurisdiction (from the Latin ius, iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak") is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to
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For the fish called "lawyer", see .
A
lawyer, according to
Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law.
..... Click the link for more information. barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions which employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. In split professions, the other type of lawyer is the solicitor.
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The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled
Type Upper House
Lord Speaker
Hélène Hayman, Baroness Hayman, PC, (Non-affiliated)
since July 4, 2006
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Her Majesty's
Court of Appeal is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords above it.
The Court is divided into two Divisions: the Civil Division and the Criminal Division.
..... Click the link for more information. Her Majesty's High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales (which under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, is to be known as the
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Crown Court is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England and Wales. It is the higher court of first instance in criminal cases, and is equal in stature to the High Court, which hears
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England and Wales
The
County Court is the workhorse of the civil justice system in England and Wales. See Courts of England and Wales for a full list of the types of courts, and List of Courts in England and Wales for the locations of County Courts in England
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This article has been tagged since September 2007.
..... Click the link for more information. English law, the legal system of England and Wales, is the basis of common law legal systems throughout the world (as opposed to civil law or pluralist systems in other countries, such as Scots law).
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Inns of Court, in London, are the professional associations to one of which every English barrister (and those judges who were formerly barristers) must belong. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members.
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A pupillage, in England and Wales, is the barrister's equivalent of the 'training contract' that a solicitor undertakes. It is similar to an apprenticeship where students build on what they have learnt during the Bar Vocational Course by combining it with practical work experience
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University Parliamentary Debating
World Universities Debating Championship
Regional Championships
Asia Australasia Europe
John Smith Memorial Mace North America
National Championships
Australia Canada Ireland
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Moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument.
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The law of Australia consists of the Australian common law (which is based on the English common law), federal laws enacted by the Parliament of Australia, and laws enacted by the Parliaments of the Australian states and territories.
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English law, the legal system of England and Wales, is the basis of common law legal systems throughout the world (as opposed to civil law or pluralist systems in other countries, such as Scots law).
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The legal system of Hong Kong is based on the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary. The constitutional framework for the legal system is provided by the Hong Kong Basic Law Under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, the Hong Kong Special
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Indian law refers to the system of law which operates in India. It is largely based on English common law because of the long period of British colonial influence during the British Raj period. Much of contemporary Indian law shows substantial European and American influence.
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The Republic of Ireland has a common law legal system with a written constitution which provides for a parliamentary democracy based on the British parliamentary system albeit with a popularly elected president, a separation of powers, a developed system of constitutional rights and
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(and largest city)
Official languages English
Membership 53 sovereign states
Leaders
- Head of the Commonwealth Queen Elizabeth II
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions is an association of lawyers which has a regulatory role which includes the right to supervise the training and qualifications of lawyers.
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Ontario
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains)
Capital Toronto
Largest city Toronto
Official languages English (de facto)
Government
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Manitoba
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free)
Capital Winnipeg
Largest city Winnipeg
Official languages English
Government
- Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard
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