A Guide To Criminal Barristers
Criminal cases are by their nature serious and complex legal proceedings. Depending on the severity of the charge, defendants could find themselves facing a fine, a criminal record, or even a jail sentence. The outcome of a criminal case can have extensive repercussions not just for the accused but for the victims, the families of both parties, and for the wider community. When a criminal case is of this level of importance it is necessary for specially trained lawyers known as barristers to become involved, both as a means of ensuring the proceedings are administered correctly and effectively, and to ensure that all parties implicated or affected by the case are dealt with justly.
Role
Barristers are one of the most important elements of the judicial system of the United Kingdom and certain other countries (mostly in the Commonwealth and other countries that were once part of the British Empire). Required to undertake a number of years of academic and vocational training followed by specialisations into the specific strains of the law, barristers are trained to become highly experienced legal professionals capable of interpreting the law, advising on legal strategy and providing skilled representation in court in order to obtain the best possible result for their clients.
Though many barristers are effectively self-employed, working out of special offices called chambers where resources are shared with colleagues of similar status, upon completion of their training they also have the option to work for a variety of bodies such as the Crown Prosecution Service (or non-UK equivalent) or in-house company legal departments.
Career
Guided and monitored by the Bar Council and many specialist associations and divisions, barristers are the default legal professionals designated to act in any cases being tried in the Crown, High or Appeal Courts. In rare cases barristers may also appear in County and Magistrates Courts, but these cases are generally left to their solicitor counterparts with barristers spending most time in the higher courts.
After a number of years’ trial experience barristers can graduate to the rank of Queen’s Counsel (though in many countries this title has begun to be replaced by the more neutral ‘Senior Counsel’) – indicating seniority within the profession – and can then advance to become judges and even Law Lords, members of the House of Lords that also serve as the highest court of appeal in England and Wales.
Hiring A Barrister
Because of the incredibly specialized nature of the barristerial profession it is often the case that the hiring of their services must be done through a solicitor. While the law has recently been changed in the United Kingdom to allow for some public direct access to barristers (without the help of a solicitor first), in almost all criminal law cases a solicitor must also be consulted. This should not be seen as a hindrance but a help - having the skills and advice of both a solicitor and a barrister at your disposal should ensure that the best possible outcome is obtained regardless of the circumstances of the case at hand.