The Inns of Court by Shawn Voigt

  Instead of attending our team‑taught class on Wednesday, March 8, we piled on the coach and made another trip to London to tour the Inns of Court.  We've been studying the British legal system in our history classes, so this was a great opportunity to see first‑hand how it works.

British lawyers are of two types: solicitors and barristers. Solicitors have always done the legal ground work such as finding clients, preparing cases, and collecting the fees.  Barristers actually argue the cases in court and still wear traditional white wigs and black gowns.  Each barrister is independent and can work for any solicitor. 

The Inns of Court are the establishments that train barristers and provide a social and professional gathering place for them when they are not arguing cases.  Years ago, the Inns of Court were the equivalent of law schools, where young lawyers‑to‑be had their training from senior barristers.  When they had observed long enough, and eaten enough dinners there, they were "called to the bar."  Today, to become a barrister, a student needs a law degree from a university, but he or she still associates with one of the Inns of Court before being called to the bar.  Meals are still an important part of the training, because dining in the Great Hall provides opportunities for further learning.

There are four Inns: Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple, and Gray's Inn.  All are located in the old City of London near the law courts themselves.  They were founded in medieval times, and were similar in structure to a Cambridge or Oxford college, with a dining (or great) hall, a chapel, library, and rooms.  Lincoln's Inn, which we toured, has records going back to 1422, but evidence suggests that it was founded in 1292.

We were shown around first by a tour guide, who took us to the Old Hall, which used to be the main part of the Inn.  It has a stained glass window depicting Sir Thomas More, who was associated with Lincoln's Inn, and a huge painting by William Hogarth (1785) called "Paul Before Felix."  We also saw the impressive 17th century chapel where John Donne gave the initial sermon. 

We were then introduced to Richard Wright, a senior barrister who has attained the rank of a "bencher," because he has been appointed to the Queen's Bench.  A senior barrister like Mr. Wright is also sometimes called a "silk," because he has earned the status to wear a silk robe.  He gave a talk on the structure of the British legal system and then let us tour the library before leading us to the Great Hall for lunch.  During our four‑course meal, Mr. Wright implored us to drink our wine before each course came around: "Don't get caught with a full glass!" he said.

After lunch we went to Gray's Inn to meet John Odgers, a barrister, and his colleague, John DeLacey.  They gave us an interesting lecture on the differences between American and British legal systems.  Mr. Odgers passed around his wig and let us try it on. He showed us the small pockets in his robe‑‑a tradition from the past: clients used to slip money into these pockets as an incentive to the barrister to argue the case well.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable and informative day, giving us a rare opportunity for insight into the legal system, past and present. We are grateful to all of our hosts, including Tim Amos, also a barrister, who made many of the arrangements for us.