The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-19
How Lawyers Ltre. Move, and GOV
eru themselves la England.


Terom Chalubers's Journal.
on CIRCUIT IN ENGLAND.
Every circuit in England has its mess,
and exclusion from the mess OF his circuit
f. social death 10 any barrister. Exclusion
from The mess i, Of course. designed rs Z
mean of punishment for men who do not
obey the circuit rules. For example, when
a man is called to the bar he usually selects
that circuit upon which most of his friends
~ and where, consequently, he hasthe
ras,,, '" Of obtaining business. Should
besI chain, I'll in obtaining work upon
he. however. L.. first selects, and after
the circuit which Il. another, he can
wards desire to chooe~ ~ three years
do SO. provided not more tbs joining
have elapsed from the time OF ~, >1ect-
the circuit which he at flrst ,.o,r,.
ed, Should more than three ND +
however. have elapsed, he is then nou;1 !:
~ silk In the circuit which he originally
chose Should a man determine, now
over 70 change his circuit after three years,
in defiance of professional etiquette, ne OF
course can do so-only the mess OF the cli,
cult which he afterwards joined wouiu
refuse 10 elect him into it, and the mess Q,
his original circuit would promptly eSpei !,
him from it.
Observe. theoretically, there is moth. ,
ing. l believe, to prevent a hatrlSter. II
circuit town in England, from Exeter 60
New Castle: but if he were to do so ne
wonld be marked by his brethren "A
profu2 sional black sheep OF the deepeSt
dive. Every mans hand would he against
him no circuit mess would elect him as Il
member and the leaders upon each CIR
cult could effectually ruin HIM by Deem,
ing-as they intallibly would do n9lo
briefs with him. So strictly is the trade
union rule which compels each barrister to
go onlv on one circuit obeycd, that be-
1eye not single instance has ever been
known of it's being broken. According to
professional etiquette man may, however,
accept a brief upon cult other man ms
own, providing that he be "sDeclally re,
tanned " to dose Being especially iciu'hcu
mean. that the man, If he he y. u. mas
a fee of three hundred %rincas;, upon ms
brief and if he hc "iunor that Is,
not a Q. Che must have fee OF tlltv
guincas marked on his brief. II the
man, also, who is specially retained DE Il
O. c., then another 9. c., belonging TO
the circuit upon which the case Is urea,
custom, any man who has filled, or Is
filling. the Office of her Majcsty,s attor-
nrv or solicitor. general, never goes on
the circuit unless he be especially re-
tanned to do so. In the case. therefore,
of a man who has gone. say. the western
circuit for his whole life, and has ohtalncd
the lead upon it. and afterwards holds pef-
hans for few months only the office OF
soljcitor-gcncral, it il 4 serious deprivation
to him to be forever deprived of the right
of going his own circuit. Upon the other
hand, he can, of course, comfort nmScll
with the thought that any man who has
filed the office of solicitor general is GER
tain TO be, sooner OF later, made ltld@c.
The other circuit rules are almost too
Fnr mo n Here. now
ever. are Il few of them: No barristcr must
enter an assiZc town before the commission
day-the object of this rule (Which is ra-
tonal onc) being to prevent any barrlstcr
.bagcing" lot Of briefs by making an
eaillrr start than his neighbors. No bar
ristcr must dine with IN attorney (unless he
be relation) while on circuit ; and Lord
Eden declared that in his day it was Il
hlch crime and misLlencanOr for barrlSter,
while on circuit. even to dance with an
attorneys daughter ut the ASST; ball !!
| think, however, that this rule Is now so
far relaxed that there is nothing to prevent
Mr.. Briciless requesting the honor Of Miss
Redapc's hand in the next set of Lancers,
providing that she he young and pretty. IL
old and ugly, need scarcely say that the
most sinister motives would be imputed to
Mr.. Briefless by his professional brethren.
No barri>ter-and this rule. OF course, APP
plies everywhere as well rs on circuit
for business in any way from an attorney.
Upon my circuit another curious rule is,
that no one must carry Il bag for his briefs
into court, unless it be a red one !; and that
no one must purchase red bag, but must
wait till aQ.C. presents him with one. The
theory of this, of course, is, that the Q. c.,
observing that the rising Junior has more
briefs than he can well carry about with
him in his hands, takes an opportunity ofeX-
pressing to him his pleasure ut the sight land
presents him with red bag TO carry them
in. Upon some circuits, believe, men
who are not lucky enough to possess red
bags, are allowed to carry blue ones into
coult i'll place OF them; but such con-
duct upon my circuit would be visited
by a 1iue of one guinea for each offence,
which sum would 90 to the mess wine
fund. No =. T.. ever goes sessions after
obtaining his silk gown, unless he be Spc-
cially retained TO do So and no Q. &. ever
travels Il circuit without being accompanied
by his clerk. In the old coaching DAYS. no
barrster was allowed to travel by the pub.
lie coach he was obliged either to ride on
horseback or in a post.chaiSe. Now-a-days
every barrSter must travel 1irst-class.
As l have said already, if barrister
chose 10 remain outside the mess of his cir
cult he could break one or all Of these rules.
Know, however, OF no instance IN Which
man has attempted to do so. That eNclrl-
sion from the circuit mess is regarded us
serious matter is proved by the fact that
although the mess fees are somewhat heavy,
Still every barrister, nc matter how poor he
may be, pays them. How far the strict sur
veillance which the circuit mess exercises
over its members is benefit or an evil,
goes beyond my present purpose to discuss.
1t Is noteworthy, however, that upon my
own circuit, at I'LL events, the clerks who
accompany their masters round circuit have
q mess OF their own, and many similarly
stringent rules to those of their masters
have been devised by them, dsobedience to
which is punished by expulsion from their
mess
Every circuit in England annually ap-
points two Of its members to be its Attor-
ney-General and Solicitor.General. Some
circuits also possess officers whose duties
may be known by the title which thew
bear-namely: "Poet Laureate' and
"Master Of the Revels." Once or twice
during each circuit what is termed
"Grand Court" takes place. What passes
at Grand Court l am forbidden to re.
veal by Il ceremonial observance SO aw.
full in its nature that the tabled red.hot
poker Of our friends the Free Masons
literally "lales its Intellectual fires " before
what went through before being permit
ted to attend Grand Court upon my circuit.
Each court has its "records," which are
carefully kept, and which extend back for
the last two hundred years or SO. The
names oil some OF the most eminent Judges
In the land are to be found on the records
OF my circuit in connection with circuit
jokes and pranks, which, il felt myself at
liberty TO reveal, (which I do not J would
cause my readers no little amusement and