Glossary of Legal Terms (A - K)
While looking for a training contract or pupillage, you may come across a number of unfamiliar terms. We have provided a list of terms that might help you in your search for a training contract or pupillage.
Assessment Centres - These are sometimes referred to as selection days, and are often used by larger recruiters as part of their recruitment process. These can include group exercises, such as discussing a legal or non-legal topic, presentations, numerical and verbal reasoning tests as well as individual interviews. They tend to be held as a second stage selection process.
Barrister's Clerk - Person responsible for running the barristers' chambers as a business, developing its practice, managing the flow of work, liaising with solicitors and for general administration. Most chambers have a team of such clerks. It is essential for the barrister to develop an effective working relationship with his/her clerk as the latter is the main source of business.
Bencher - Senior member of an Inn elected on to the Bench which acts as the governing body of the Inn.
BVC On-Line - Internet based system for applying for the Bar Vocational Course. For further information see the Related External Link.
Cab Rank Rule - Rule to which all barristers subscribe and which requires the barrister to accept the next appropriate case that comes his/her way.
Call - (or "Call to The Bar"). A crucial Right of Passage for barristers. Traditionally, pupils have been called once they have passed the BVC and satisfied the 12 training units required by the Inns of Court. The barrister attends a "Call Night" at his/her Inn of Court. Here s/he is sponsored by a bencher (who is also an existing Inn member) and is formally Called to The Bar at the Call ceremony. There are currently proposals for call to be deferred until after pupillage.
Chambers - (or "Set"). This is the barrister's place of business. The barrister is normally self-employed, but rents office space and hires the services of support personnel, (including the Barrister's Clerk) from a specific chambers. Chambers therefore consists of a number of barristers and other personnel, undertaking an agreed range of bar related work.
Chancery - a specific area of Law, normally associated with The Bar and relates to cases heard by the Chancery Division of the High Court. It involves business matters such as insolvency, equities, trusts, pensions and other finance related issues. Many important financial cases have been heard in the Chancery Division. The boundaries with work done by the Commercial Bar have blurred in recent years.
Commercial Awareness - Often an important selection criterion at interviews for training contracts. This is a general term used differently by different employers. It includes an awareness of what is happening in business generally together with a broad understanding of the factors affecting business e.g. economics, politics and social issues on local, national and international levels. It may also suggest an ability to act in a specific way i.e. with the commercial interests of the client at heart and to use certain skills e.g. judgement, common sense and decision making.
Commercial - A commercial firm works for businesses. The type of business may vary from firm to firm and could include PLCs, owner managed businesses (OMBs) and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The legal issues are generally internal matters for the business such as share issues, Company Director's rights and company secretarial work. Commercial lawyers may also be called upon to offer advice to entrepreneurs for their start-up businesses.
Common Law - A specific area of Law normally associated with the work of The Bar. Common Law sets tend to undertake a variety of work involving actions against the police, clinical negligence, employment, discrimination, landlord & tenant, personal injury, professional negligence and serious fraud. Common Law continues to be affected by the decline in public funding for these types of cases.
Corporate - Corporate work generally refers to transactions between companies such as mergers and acquisitions (M & A) and restructuring. It can also cover management buy-ins and buy-outs, joint ventures and financing.
CPS - This stands for the Crown Prosecution Service, and is a Government organisation that exists entirely for prosecution purposes. The CPS lawyer (either a solicitor or a barrister) considers whether or not to prosecute, and, if the case goes ahead, will prosecute the case in the Magistrates' Court.
Counsel - Barrister involved in a specific case.
Dining - This continues to be the main way that student barristers amass training units for "Call" (see above). By dining at his/her Inn of Court, the student barrister is expected to discuss professional issues with senior benchers, develop a network of useful professional contacts and take part in a range of educational events. Each dinner attracts one "Training Unit". Units may also be awarded for attendance at training days (normally 2 units) or Training weekends (3 units). A total of 12 units are required to satisfy the requirements for "Call".
Employed Barrister - a barrister not in independent practice. Normally employed (on a salary) by a public or private sector organisation rather than being self-employed and based in chambers (Independent Bar - see below).
FRU - (Free Representation Unit) A registered charity and the largest single provider of free representation in the United Kingdom. FRU provides legal representation for individuals at tribunals in the fields of Employment, Social Security, Criminal Injuries Compensation and Immigration law in the Greater London Area (see External Link for Free Representation Unit).
GLS - This stands for the Government Legal Service, which comprises around 2,000 lawyers and trainees, working in 40 government organisations, including Departments of state and regulatory bodies. The GLS normally recruits 20-30 trainee solicitors a year, who are then trained in the work of government as well as in the law (see External Link for GLS).
Independent Bar - Self-employed barristers working in private practice. Most do not work in isolation however, and often pool their resources with others to form a "set" or "chambers".
International City Firms - These are based in London and are major players in the global economy. They handle all aspects of company and commercial law and if you work for one, you will need to understand the workings of the global marketplace. With multiple offices throughout the world's major financial centres, you are unlikely to spend your career exclusively in the UK.
In-house - An in-house solicitor or barrister is employed directly by an organisation to deal solely with their legal business. Almost 2500 companies, local authorities and non-governmental organisations employ lawyers to work in-house. In-house barristers are often termed "employed barristers". Around 200 are authorised to take trainees but not all recruit every year. Hence, there are only 75 or so TCs in this area each year.
Inns of Court - There are four Inns of Court: Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. These are ancient legal societies that anyone wishing to train for the Bar must join before undertaking the BVC. Their main function is to Call barristers to the Bar (see "Call" above). They also provide support to barristers and student barristers through educational and social activities and the provision of grants and scholarships.
Interview Feedback Forms - These are available in the Careers Service and are filled out by students who have already been for interviews with a particular firm / chambers. They give information on what to expect in the interview, including difficult questions asked and any other tests that are part of the process.
