Notes

Barristers
Barristers are people who vary in different things, they mainly specialise in courtroom advocacy, special legal advice and representing clients in Court and through written advice.

Barristers are rarely hired by Clients therefore Solicitors will mostly instruct Barristers on their Clients behalf as Solicitors have a more direct access to their Client whereas Barristers don't. Barristers are only allowed to act on behalf of their Clients if they are strictly instructed by a Solicitor or another qualified body to do that, whereas Solicitors are allowed to act on behalf of their client without being instructed to do so by any qualified body. Barristers typically specialise in a particular area of Law, for example, Criminal, Family and Commercial. This then results in their day to day focus of what they will do vary. Many Barristers are self employed, they can also do a range of things such as advising clients on their cases depending on the circumstance. Although this requires a large amount of research which they can either present in written form or verbally to a Client or Solicitor. Understanding as well as interpreting the Law to provide solid legal advice generally to the client as part of an organisation or at events, representing clients in Court. This can include presenting the case, questioning witnesses, giving summaries etc. The competition to become a Barrister is extremely high, as it is an intellectually demanding role and requires a significant amount of additional training after university.

Solicitors
Solicitors are similar to Barristers with the sort of things they do, however Solicitors are able to do things without needing instructions from others, so they have more freedom to do things.
Solicitors are qualified legal professionals who provide specialist legal advice on different areas of Law and are responsible for representing and defending a Client's legal interest.

Solicitors are to take instructions from Clients which include individuals, groups, public sector organisations and private companies and advise them on necessary courses of legal action.

Solicitors work closely with their Clients are likely to be their clients first point of contact.

Solicitors mainly advise Clients on a range of issues which can be personal issues, commercial work and others. Solicitors need to have a professional approach to work, integrity and a respect for confidentiality. They need to be good at problem solving, have good research and analysis skills, good written and oral communication and strong negotiation skills.

Judges
A judge is an elected or appointed official who conducts Court proceedings. Judges must be impartial and strive to properly interpret the meaning,significance and implications of the Law.
The role of a Judge during a hearing depends on whether or not a jury is present. In the most serious criminal cases, a jury is present, meaning that the jury looks at the evidence presented to the Court and determines what actually happened and whether or not the defendant is guilty.
The Judge ensures that everything in the CourtRoom is happening within the correct manner and rules towards the Law. If a Jury is not present in a Court Case, the Judge is the one who looks at the evidence and chooses whether the person is guilty or not.
Magistrates Court
Within a Magistrates Court there are 3 people who have a certain placement on the bench..
Two of these placements are called Wingers, who are known as Justices of Peace. They usually put their input during cases, advising the chairmen on what decisions and protocols to take depending on the offences made. The Chairmen will usually have the most experience within the bench in the Magistrates Court as they act both as the "judge' and the jury' as the Magistrates Court don't have either political figures. If by chance there is not a Magistrates bench, there will be one judge placed in court who has to have the experience or be qualified as a barrister for at least 7 years. This is known as a District Judge. The Clerk of Court, usually known as a solicitor or barrister, sits below the Magistrates in Court. Their job contains advising the Magistrates on points of Law. If the Magistrates are influenced then the Defence Solicitor can appeal to the Crown Court in order to ensure a sense of justice for those wronged.
Croum Court
The Crown Court contains more serious offences than the Magistrates Court, such as murder,rape and GBH. In the Crown Court there is one Judge who can be of either gender since 1989. The Clerk for the Crown Court, known as either a Barrister or a Solicitor will make sure that all the paperwork and possible evidence that the judge may be in need of is ready for them to view with also the Clerk of the Crown Court advising the Judge when needed. Indifferent to the Magistrates Court, the Crown Court does have a jury which is made up by not 3 members, but 12 members. They are the people who decide on the outcome of the current trial depending on evidence and witnesses also known as guilty/not guilty. Members of the public can have the ability to be called into the court to act out as a Jury, if they do not show up to court it may have the consequence of going to jail for a short time, however they sometimes are able to be excused if they have a reason. The Judge in the Court delivers the sentence, the jury makes a decision and the judge conveys their decision.