Royal Courts of Justice - London
Aug 6th, 2004 | 01:30 PM
#2
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
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First, are you sure you mean the Royal Courts of Justice - the ornate building in The Strand, where complex (mostly civil, or technical) legal cases are held? You don't mean the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey: the one with the statue of Blind Justice on the roof),where high-profile criminal cases are heard?
The RCJ is a warren of courts, with virtually unrestricted access, though you have to go through a metal detector. Most of the cases are REALLY boring, unless you're a plaintiff or defendant, and you can just walk in and out of the courts almost at will, though most days in Term there's one case where the public gallery might be full of reporters (you can tell those days by the bored camera crews setting up outside). But there are dozens of other courts where they'd be glad of a new face.
As far as I'm aware (my knowledge on this is gained the hard way) there's no formal tour. But it's a huge Victorian cathedral to the legal system. Just walk in and wander round. There are lots of pleasant ushers who will probably be relieved to have a touristy question after the succession of feckless small businessmen asking how they can avoid getting their company wound up because they're in court against HMCE for not paying their VAT.
If you meant the Old Bailey, go to http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corpo...inal_court.htm But getting in when there's a really good murder on means very long queueing
If you meant the House of Lords (the Supreme Court for the UK for many things, and for the UK apart from Scotland on everything), my understanding is that it's seriously anti-climatic. But you can read about it at http://www.parliament.the-stationery...g/ld08judg.htm
If after all that, you're one of those American lawyers who imbibed rhe English system with your mother's milk, accept my apologies for this grandmaternal egg-sucking lesson
The RCJ is a warren of courts, with virtually unrestricted access, though you have to go through a metal detector. Most of the cases are REALLY boring, unless you're a plaintiff or defendant, and you can just walk in and out of the courts almost at will, though most days in Term there's one case where the public gallery might be full of reporters (you can tell those days by the bored camera crews setting up outside). But there are dozens of other courts where they'd be glad of a new face.
As far as I'm aware (my knowledge on this is gained the hard way) there's no formal tour. But it's a huge Victorian cathedral to the legal system. Just walk in and wander round. There are lots of pleasant ushers who will probably be relieved to have a touristy question after the succession of feckless small businessmen asking how they can avoid getting their company wound up because they're in court against HMCE for not paying their VAT.
If you meant the Old Bailey, go to http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corpo...inal_court.htm But getting in when there's a really good murder on means very long queueing
If you meant the House of Lords (the Supreme Court for the UK for many things, and for the UK apart from Scotland on everything), my understanding is that it's seriously anti-climatic. But you can read about it at http://www.parliament.the-stationery...g/ld08judg.htm
If after all that, you're one of those American lawyers who imbibed rhe English system with your mother's milk, accept my apologies for this grandmaternal egg-sucking lesson
Aug 8th, 2004 | 06:57 AM
#4
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,602
Likes: 0
Patrick, Patrick-picky, picky!
Jfreides-what Flanneruk REALLY means is that the RCJ IS a worthwhile place to visit-particularly if you are a lawyer, but interesting also if you would just like to wander a bit through the vast Victorian Gothic complex-(I think there's something like 1000 rooms?,) and go and sit in the public galleries to hear one or another civil case being heard in Her Majesty's court system-and being tried, on one side or the other, by a barrister, (trial lawyer-only barristers have rights of audience before the High Courts) or a "silk" otherwise known as a QC (Queen's Counsel) -to be distinguished from a regular barrister- a QC is nominated for the title, a mark of experience and excellence in the profession-the QC wears a silk robe to court, as opposed to a regular cloth robe for a barrister. When a barrister becomes a QC, it is said that the barrister "takes silk." (Contrary to what some people might think, not everyone fancies criminal trials-unlike my father, a criminal defense lawyer, who definitely craved his weekly Rumpole of the Bailey fix).
I believe you can also get tickets at certain times to see otherwise restricted areas of the RCJ-but you have to apply to the Superintendent's office to do so.
Also, the RCJ has a small but interesting display set up of the various robes worn in court by judges throughout the U.K.-which includes the very fancy scarlet and white robes of the Scottish High Court judges (Scotland has a separate criminal law system from the rest of the U.K.-this came about as a result of the border being closed between the two countries for a few hundred years, where Scottish lawyers and others of the educated classes looked to the Continent-specifically France and Holland, for their legal training and inspiraton). The two countries came back together (quite uneasily) with the Act of Union of 1707.
So yes, I think you would find the RCJ a most worthy site to visit, you might also want to wander your way through the Inns of Court (where barristers maintain their chambers) as well.
Jfreides-what Flanneruk REALLY means is that the RCJ IS a worthwhile place to visit-particularly if you are a lawyer, but interesting also if you would just like to wander a bit through the vast Victorian Gothic complex-(I think there's something like 1000 rooms?,) and go and sit in the public galleries to hear one or another civil case being heard in Her Majesty's court system-and being tried, on one side or the other, by a barrister, (trial lawyer-only barristers have rights of audience before the High Courts) or a "silk" otherwise known as a QC (Queen's Counsel) -to be distinguished from a regular barrister- a QC is nominated for the title, a mark of experience and excellence in the profession-the QC wears a silk robe to court, as opposed to a regular cloth robe for a barrister. When a barrister becomes a QC, it is said that the barrister "takes silk." (Contrary to what some people might think, not everyone fancies criminal trials-unlike my father, a criminal defense lawyer, who definitely craved his weekly Rumpole of the Bailey fix).
I believe you can also get tickets at certain times to see otherwise restricted areas of the RCJ-but you have to apply to the Superintendent's office to do so.
Also, the RCJ has a small but interesting display set up of the various robes worn in court by judges throughout the U.K.-which includes the very fancy scarlet and white robes of the Scottish High Court judges (Scotland has a separate criminal law system from the rest of the U.K.-this came about as a result of the border being closed between the two countries for a few hundred years, where Scottish lawyers and others of the educated classes looked to the Continent-specifically France and Holland, for their legal training and inspiraton). The two countries came back together (quite uneasily) with the Act of Union of 1707.
So yes, I think you would find the RCJ a most worthy site to visit, you might also want to wander your way through the Inns of Court (where barristers maintain their chambers) as well.
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