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 Illustration of an early 19th-century English barrister | |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Law Jurisprudence Justice Politics Legal history Human rights Intellectual property |
| Description | |
Education required | England and Wales: Bar Professional Training Course with pupillage Ireland: Barrister-at-Law degree with pupillage Hong Kong: Postgraduate Certificate in Laws with pupillage |
Fields of employment | Barristers' chambers, government, sole trader, law firm |
Related jobs | Pupil barrister, advocate, judge, magistrate, attorney, solicitor |
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialize in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching the law and giving legal opinions.
Barristers are distinguished from solicitors and other types of lawyers (e.g. chartered legal executives) who have more direct access to clients, and may do transactional legal work. In some legal systems, including those of South Africa, Scandinavia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, the word barrister is also regarded as an honorific title.[citation needed]
In a few jurisdictions, barristers are usually forbidden from "conducting" litigation, and can only act on the instructions of another lawyer, who perform tasks such as corresponding with parties and the court, and drafting court documents. In England and Wales, barristers may seek authorization from the Bar Standards Board to conduct litigation, allowing a barrister to practice in a dual capacity.
In some common law jurisdictions, such as New Zealand and some Australian states and territories, lawyers are entitled to practice both as barristers and solicitors, but it remains a separate system of qualification to practice exclusively as a barrister. In others, such as the United States, the distinction between barristers and other types of lawyers does not exist at all.