Bewigged and Bewildered?: A Guide to Becoming a Barrister in England and Wales - Softcover

Kramer, Adam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841136514 ISBN 13: 9781841136516

Publisher: Hart Publishing, 2007

Synopsis

Misunderstandings and jargon prevent many from seriously considering a career as a barrister in England and Wales. Others who want to become barristers may not know how to go about it. And then there are those who just want to know more about this somewhat mysterious profession. This book, by a barrister who was formerly a university law lecturer, clearly explains the traditions, terminology, and institutions of the Bar in England and Wales, and what it is actually like to be a barrister. Several barristers practicing in different fields describe in detail a typical week in their life. Advice is then given on how to be accepted into, fund, and survive the various academic and other stages that precede qualification as a barrister, including work experience, Bar school, and pupillage (the barrister's apprenticeship). The book also discusses how to transfer to the Bar after another legal or non-legal career. Written in an accessible and occasionally light-hearted fashion, Bewigged and Bewildered offers an alternative and truthful picture not found in official career handbooks and is endorsed by the head of the Bar Council, Stephen Hockman QC.

About this title

About the Author:

Adam Kramer is a Barrister at 3 Verulam Buildings, and a former lecturer at the Universities of Durham and Oxford.

Review:

This is an indispensable guide to anyone who might consider a career at the Bar.Kramer in his clever way weaves in facts, possibilities, alternatives, definitions and sub-definitions.The 10 little essays about the life of young practitioners are very polished. David Wurtzel Counsel December 2007 Not only does it set out essential information about qualifications, joining an inn, dining, obtaining a pupillage, and so on, it also includes guidance on alternative careers, law libraries in London, time-tables for routes to the Bar, and setting up in practice. The Commonwealth Lawyer Vol 17, No 2, August 2008 .I endorse Adam Kramer's unique book for throwing open the doors of the Bar to current and future generations, and I hope that, by giving the confidence that can come only from being fully informed, it will bring readers to this most enjoyable, worthwhile, and rewarding of vocations. I only wish it had been available to me when I started in practice 35 years ago. Stephen Hockman QC, Chairman of the Bar Council From the foreword 2006 ...it gets the LawCareers.Net seal of approval...We particularly like Kramer's advice on how to respond to the age-old pupillage interview question: 'How can you defend a man who you know is guilty?' And his guidance on how to wear your wig and bands looks pretty useful too! LC.N Weekly (Law Careers.Net) 15th May 2007 This is a very much needed book, with useful online updates, for anyone interested in becoming a barrister-at-law in England and Wales in 21st century...There has always been a certain amount of mystique about the Bar and what we actually do. Adam Kramer has been able to distill the work we do in a matter-of-fact way as though he were addressing a jury- and he puts the issues across very finely indeed with most questions answered. Phillip Taylor Richmond Chambers Bewigged is a well-written and enjoyable resource and should be useful to law students, aspiring law students and aspiring barristers in particular...it is a useful referral point for students interested in joining the barrister profession. Reference sections of any university library and careers services would do well to stock the book. Those of us who do not themselves aspire to a career in advocacy will enjoy the insightful account of the structure of the legal world and the training system for joining one of the oldest and most powerful professions in contemporary Britain. Anna Zimdars The Law Teacher 2009

About this edition

• Publisher: Hart Publishing
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1841136514
• ISBN 13: 9781841136516
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 190