B

It's Useful to Know

Unlike the courses which make up the academic stage of training, the Bar Vocational Course places a 60 per cent emphasis on skills, with only 40 per cent of the year's work covering knowledge. The other major element of the course is professional conduct. In many classes students play an active part, which often involves role-playing exercises. They may find themselves interviewing one another, negotiating solutions to legal problems, even enacting court procedures, as well as drafting documents and written recommendations. The course emphasises the need for a professional approach to work. The main skills taught on the Bar Vocational Course are: Fact Management, Legal Research, Opinion-writing (that is giving written advice), Drafting (of various types of documents). The interpersonal skills include Conference skills, Negotiation and Advocacy (court appearances). Main areas of knowledge taught on the Bar Vocational Course are: Civil litigation, Criminal litigation, Evidence and Sentencing.

ecause junior tenants are self-employed, the flow of work can be spasmodic and the hours irregular. They may be given very little notice of court appearances. Briefs can arrive by fax in the evening, leaving little time to prepare for a case to be heard a hundred miles away the next morning. However, what is lost in terms of social life and excessive travelling will be gained in the sense that they are getting enough work. In addition to normal expenses, self-employed barristers also need to pay their share towards the cost of running chambers.

Career stages:

To sum up, the main career stages of a barrister are as follows: a junior tenant, a full-time practicing barrister and an experienced barrister with his own practice. Experienced barristers who have built up a thriving practice at the Bar may apply to become a Queen's Counsel (the highest position a barrister can have). Barristers are appointed to this rank by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. A QC wears a silk gown, that is why becoming a QC is referred to as 'taking silk'. A QC is not allowed to appear in Court without having a junior with him, therefore it is more expensive to have a QC in one's case.

Task 2. Answer the questions on the text.

1. How are solicitors educated?

2. What are the typical stages of a solicitor's career?

3. What is the academic stage of the training of barristers characterised by?

4. What is included in the vocational stage?

5. How does pupillage work?

6. How does tenancy differ from pupillage?

7. When is a barrister said to "take silk"?

Task 3. Find in the text above English equivalents for the following key words and expressions.

1. специальное юридическое образование

2. юрист (солиситор)-стажёр

3. практикующий солиситор

4. будущий барристер

5. профессиональные навыки

6. основы профессиональной подготовки юриста

7. стипендия

8. инсценировать судебное разбирательство

9. проникнуть в самую суть профессии

10. составлять документацию и письменные предписания

11. получить работу в юридической фирме

12. платить взносы за право самостоятельной работы в качестве солиситора

13. получить университетское образование

14. получить диплом юриста

15. приобрести необходимый опыт

16. быть принятым в коллегию адвокатов

17. начать самостоятельную практику

18. создать себе репутацию

Task 4. Read the following text to find out where business lawyers work.

Business Lawyer

Most business lawyers practise their craft in private law firms, which can range in size from two lawyers to over 1,000 lawyers.

Any business lawyer practicing in a medium-to-large-size law firm is a specialist in a particular field of law. So, the firms usually have several departments, or groups focusing on a particular practice area. The clients of business law firms are corporations, companies and entrepreneurs.

But many business organisations have set up in-house legal departments of business lawyers who are also employees of the organisation. The law department is a law firm within the corporation, consisting of dozens, if not hundreds, of litigators and business lawyers.

While titles vary, usually the young business lawyer in a corporate legal department starts out as a "counsel", performing very routine tasks, then works his/her way up to "associate general counsel", then "assistant general counsel", and finally ending his/her career at the top of the departmental ladder as "general counsel" to the corporation.

The corporate law department is expected to perform most of the routine, day-to-day legal tasks. But when a complex legal issue arises, they still refer to an outside law firm with more diversified expertise.

Task 5. Answer the following questions on the text.

1. What organisations do business lawyers mostly work in?

2. How large are private law firms employing most business lawyers?

3. Why are there several departments in a law firm?

4. Who are the clients of business law firms?

5. What is the difference between a law firm and an in-house legal department of a business organisation?

6. How many litigators and business lawyers can in-house departments normally employ?

7. What are the legal titles of lawyers employed by corporations?

8. What title does the beginning lawyer start out with?

9. What tasks are performed by a counsel?

10. What is the highest title of a business lawyer in a corporate legal department?

11. What is the typical legal career of a business lawyer?

12. Who do corporate lawyers apply to if they need expert evidence on complicated legal issues? Why do they have to do it?