Learning about barristers

Introduction

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A barrister standing in front of an audience in a room

These resources are designed to help you learn more about what barristers do and why the role of a barrister is so important. They also explain how you can become a barrister.

Learning about barristers is divided into six sections:

  1. Why do we need barristers?

  2. What does a barrister do?

  3. Life as a barrister.

  4. Who can become a barrister?

  5. Becoming a barrister.

  6. Getting ready.

How to work through this course

If you want to work through all the sections in one go it will take you around an hour in total. Each section contains a variety of writing, video clips, activities, and quotes from barristers and judges.

If you prefer, you can work through any of the individual sections you chose in whichever order you want to.

You can also revisit the sections as many times as you would like to.

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Barrister briefing! The idea of a group of learned men of law having a special status dates back to the 12th century (only men were allowed into the profession until 1919!). King Henry II introduced a new system of law to be used across the whole country (the common law). As judges started to travel around the country hearing cases, a group of men formed who were specialists in law and presented cases. These men would stand at the wooden barrier or ‘bar’ in the courtroom to address the judge, with the public kept back behind it. This is where the word ‘barrister’ comes from and it is why the profession is known as ‘the Bar’. The collective noun for barristers is ’the Bar’. When barristers are asked to represent a client, it is called getting a ‘brief’. A brief is a written document explaining the case, attached to a bundle of papers relating to the issues. The tradition is that a brief will be tied up with ribbon before being sent to a barrister.

1 Why do we need barristers?