Lunch at the Inner Temple and More

NOTE: Several of you have asked me to post some pictures, and I am trying to figure out how to download pictures onto my iPad. Worst case scenario, I will borrow a laptop to download them. Regardless, I should have some photos up by this week!

MY FIRST WEEK IN CHAMBERS AND MORE OBSERVATIONS
I finished a very interesting week in my chambers and am preparing for next week.

I spent the remainder of my week mostly engaging in legal research for a writing assignment I have for one of Peter's cases in Trinidad and Tobago. Many of the cases I read are from the "Privy Council", which is a group of Lords from the House of Lords that constitute the last venue for an appeal regarding a public or administrative decision. Each Lord that reviews the case writes his or her decision. As I mentioned previously, they only cite a limited amount of case law and they also refer to various European treaties and statements on human rights. I also read several recent decisions which cited the Magna Carta! Yes, the centuries-old document still influences these high decision makers, which makes sense since it is such a moving document which has been studied and recited throughout time.

Peter said that because the Privy Council does not have a decision on behalf of the council (as each Lord issues their own opinion on the matter), there is no "consensus" decision that controls; however, Peter mentioned that the barristers know which decision is most controlling by its detail and persuasion. I am still trying to wrap my mind around this concept as some of the Lords' opinions on the same topic were completely incongruous and opposing. On the other hand, Peter also had some good arguments on whey courts, like the U.S. Supreme Court, should not have an official "opinion" on behalf of the entire bench, mostly because each judge probably has different perspectives on the issue, even if they all or mostly concurred with the overarching action taken by the Court.

As I mentioned earlier, I am mostly shadowing Peter, but he will be in Trinidad this upcoming week, so I will work with some other barristers. Tomorrow, I will finally observe an argument in the High Court, which is in the grand building that houses several of the courts called the "Royal Courts of Justice." This building is also situated in the "Temple" area of London, where the Inns of Courts and barristers are located. I will post more about the arguments after I observe them, but it is a defamation case (the barrister represents the claimant) against one of the many tabloid-style papers in England.

LUNCH AT THE INNER TEMPLE
Last Friday, Peter, some other barristers from my chambers, and I went to the Inner Temple to have lunch. From what I understand, all of the Inns of Court host lunches and even dinners for Inns of Court members and their guests EVERY DAY. All people entering the building must be dressed appropriately (suits, no jeans, etc.). The Inner Temple is an old, historic building within the confines of the Temple part of London (and next to the other Inns of Court and the historic Temple Church, made famous by the Da Vinci Code). At the early lunch hour of 12:30PM (yes, that is early by London standards), the line to get into the dining area was long. After we entered, I observed that the large dining room (complete with pictures of various Lords and barristers on the walls) contained several kiosks and areas to either serve yourself for cold food or allow someone to put food on your plate for the hot food section. I opted for the traditional Friday fish and chips. I noticed that none of the food even closely resembled cafeteria food--all of the food was delicious and quite posh. Later, I also found out that one of the BBC's cooking competition shows, Master Chef, previously tasked contestants with cooking a dinner for the neighboring Middle Temple Inn, which shows that this is no easy feat, yet they serve this delicious food every day!

After we got our plates, we sat down at one of the long, dining hall-style tables with other barristers to eat and talk. Peter introduced me to some barristers along the way. The barristers pay for their meals after they eat by filling out a form and checking off what they had---it is purely an honor system although the food can get pricey.

The barrister community in England is certainly unique; I really feel that I'm in another time and place when I step off the Tube at the Temple station every morning. I'm amazed with the so many facets of the barrister lifestyle, including the requirement that aspiring barristers join Inns for life, rent space from Inns, and have the opportunity to dine in their beautiful buildings every day with other barristers. These advocates really immerse themselves in their profession (which is a good thing), and it adds a great deal of respect, tradition, and provides a wonderful mentoring framework for life.

WIGS
Many of you have asked me about whether I will see a wig or whether the barristers still wear them. Indeed, they do still wear the wigs in several of the courts, and barristers must wear them when they are "called to the bar" in a ceremony. The wigs cost up to 700 pounds (well over $1000), and the sign of a good wig is one that is more yellow than white (it shows that you are not a newbie). Since I have not observed court proceedings yet, I have not seen one worn, but I did see a barrister on his way to court carrying a wig last week, which was an exciting moment. They look even better in person!

Again, please let me know if you have any questions or if there's anything you want me to explore for you!




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Location:London, England