Legal Education in Great Britain. Bulletin, 1915, No. 18. Whole Number 643

Admission to the legal profession in England is controlled by organizations representing the solicitors and barristers, the two great divisions into which the profession is divided. this control by private organizations is peculiar to England, and a proper appreciation of the present condition and tendencies in English legal education therefore requires a somewhat detailed account of these societies and their activities. The division of the profession into two classes, the solicitors and barristers, does not exist in the United States. The activities of the solicitor correspond, roughly, to those of the so-called office lawyer in America, while the barrister corresponds to the trial lawyer. The solicitor may appear as an advocate in the inferior courts and in noncontroversial matters in chambers before judges of the High Court. By the conveyancing act passed in 1881, the solicitor is permitted to do all kinds of conveyancing, a field formerly belonging exclusively to the barrister. The barrister's chief function is to conduct trials before the High Court; he is employed by the solicitor and does not come in contact with the client in the first instance. This bulletin on Legal Education in Great Britain provides further details on the following topics: (1) The law society; (2) The law school of the law society; (3) Correspondence courses; (4) Organization of legal education; (5) The barristers; (6) Other law schools; (7) Preliminary education; (8) The inns of courts; (9) Entrance examinations at Oxford and Cambridge; (10) Scottish universities; (11) Conclusions as to preliminary education; (12) Intermediate examinations; (13) Council of legal education; (14) Intermediate examination at the Universities; (15) Final examinations; (16) Degrees; (17) Honors; (18) Calls to the bar; (19) Methods of instruction; and (20) In general. (Contains 2 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]