The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-17
ABoUr TIE BRITISH BAR.

| - ..f Your o6edlent servant,
ALLENDALE.
ABOUT THE BRITISH BAR.
How Lawyers Live, Move and Govern
Themselves I'm England.
| -
fFrom. Chamberss Journal]
Every circuit In England has Its mess, ant
exclusion from the mess of his circuit is socia
| death to any barrlster. Exclusion from the
mess is, Of course, designed as ameans of pun
j iishment for men who do not obey the circul
rules. For example, when man Is called Il
| the bar he usually selects that circuit upoI
which most Of his friends reside, and where
consequently, he has the best chance Of OBJ.
tanning business. Should he, however, fail II
obtaining work upon the circuit which he frs
selects, and afterwards desire to choose an
other. he. can do SO, provided not more thar
three years have elapsed from the time of hi:
joining the circuit which he had first selected
Should more than three years. however, have
elapsed, he Is then bound to stick to. the cir
cult which he originally chose. Should man
determine, however, to change his circuit attel
three years, In defiance OF professional ett.
\ ouette.;he of course can do so-only the mess
| Of tthe circuit which he afterwards Joined
would refuse to elect him into 1t, aud the mess
of his original circuit would promptly expe
him from it.
observe, theoretically, there is nothing,
believe, to prevent barrlster, If he chose TO
do so, from travelling to every circuit town In
| England, from Exeter to New Castle; but If he
were to do 30 he would be marked by his
| brethren as professional black sheep of the
| deepest dye. E-ery mans hand would be
! against him; no circuit mess would elect MIN
as 9 member; and the leaders upon each cir.
cult could effectually ruin him by declining
as they infallibly would do-to hold briefs with
him. So strictly ls the trade-union rule which
compels each barrister to 60 only on one cir
| cult obeyed, that / believe not q single In
stance has eyer been known of It's being
broken. According to professional etiquette
a man may, however, accept brief upon a
circuit other than his own, providing tnat M ne
be especially. retained to do so. Being
especially retained means that the man, II he
be o Q. c., has a fee OF three hundred gulneas
upon his brief; and If he be q s.junlor'-that is,
not Q. Che must have fee Of hfty
guineas marked on his briet fthe man, also,
who is specially retained be Q. e.. then
another O. c., belonging to the circuit upon
which the case is tried. must also be retained
with him. By bar custom, any man who has
filled, or Is filling, the office Of her Majesty's
attorney or solicitors general, never goes on
the circuit unless he be especially retained to
do 80. In the case, therefore, of man who
has gone, say, the western circuit tor his
whole life, and has obtained the lead upon It,
and afterwards holds; (perhaps for few
months only the Office OF solicitor-general, 1t
lis serious deprivation to him to be forever
deprived of the right oil going bis own cir
cult. Upon the other hand, he can, Of course,
comfort himself with the thought that any
man who has filled the. office of sollcltor-gen-
Eerelis certain to be, sooner or later, made q
Judge. .!sa3s. ts..:;Ls,.
rtrprtJnpS Nh viewer.
are afew:of them: No barrister must enter
an assize town before the commlsslon.day-
the object of this rule (Which is rational
one) being to prevent any barrlster, bag
ging" lot Of briefs by making an earlier start
Than his neighbors. No barrlster must dine
with an attorney (unless he be relation)
while on circuit; and Lord Elden declared that
In his day it was a high crime and misde-
meanor for q barrlster, while on circuit even
to dance with an attorneys daughter at the
assze ball. Ithink, however, that this rule Is
now 80 far relaxed that there Is nothing TO
prevent Mr.. Brie6ess requesting the honor OF
Miss Redtape's hand In the next act of Lam
II old and ugly need scarcely say that the
most sinister motives would be imputed to
\ M. Briefless by his professlo brethren. No
fffster-and tblsg rule, of course, applies
everywhere las we'll as on clrcuit--must
stout" for business, or. in fact, ask for busi-
ness many way from an attorney.
Upon my circuit another curious rueNis,
that no ore must carry bag for hls briefs into
court, un.ess 1t be a red one, and that no one
must purchase q red bag, but must walt till
QsGs.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,
takesano opportunity of expressing to him bis
pleasure atlhe sight and presents him with a
red bag to carry4ihem In. Upon some Cir
cults, j believe, men who are not lucky enough
10 possess red bags, are allowed to carry blue
ones into court In place Of them; but such con-
duct upon my circuit itSwould be visited by o
fine OF one guinea for each: offence, which sum
would go TO the mess wine fund. No &C
ever goes, sessions after obtaining his silk
gown, unless he be specially retained to do so;
and no @. c. ever travels acircuit without be-
ing accompanied by his clerk. In the old
coaching days, no barrlsier was allowed TO
travel by the public coach, he was obliged
eithersrto ride, on horseback or in post
chaise. Nowadays every barrister must travel
first class,
2SAs IhaSe said already,.if 3, berrister chose
to remain outside the mess OF his circuit be
could break one or all of these rules. know,
i,however,:of no instance In which man has
attempted to do;so. That exclusion from the
circuit mess is regarded as serious matter, is
proved by the facI chat although the mess fees
are somewhat heavy, still every sbarrlster, no
matter how poor he may be, pays them. How
far the strict eilance which the circuit mess
exercises over its members Is g benefit or an
evil, goes beyond my present purpose to dis
cuss. 1t Is noteworthy. however, that upon
my own circuit, at all events, the clerks who ac-
company their masters round circuit. shaye
mess Of theirewn;iand many similarly strln-
| gent rules to those of their masters have been
devised by them, disobedIence to which. Is
punished by expulsion from their mess.
Every circuitin England annually appoints
| two Of Its membersto be Its attorney general
and solicit itor-general. Some circuits also pos.
sess officers whose duties may be known by
the title which they bear--namely: "Poet Lau-
reate" and tsMasterfot the Revels." Once or
twice during each circuit what is termed
HGrand Courtn takes place. What passes at
grand court am forbidden to reveal by q cere-
monial observance so awful In Its nature that
the fa6led red hot poker Of our friends the
Freemasons literally spales its Intellectual
fires" before what went through before being
permitted to attend grand court upon my cir
| cult. Each court has its 'records," which are
carefully kept, and which extend back for the
last two hundred years orso. The names oi
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. If felt myself at liberty to reveal,
| (which do not,) would cause my readers no
little amusement and those eminent judges nc
small dismay.
Il