V. Insert the articles if necessary.

The judges constitute … judiciary, or … third arm of … constitutional system in … UK. There are … relatively small number of judges of various ages, and they are located in most large cities and in … higher courts in London. As there is no judicial profession in England, all judges are usually appointed from … ranks of senior barristers, although advocates or solicitors have now become eligible for some of … lower positions. Some become … circuit judges, of whom there are about 300, assigned to county courts throughput the country. Above these there are about 50 High Court judges who deal with more important or difficult cases around … country, and about 30 other judges, all of whom belong to one of … divisions of … High Court of Justice.

VI. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

Some become circuit judges, … whom there are about 300, assigned … county courts throughout the country. Above these there are about 50 High Court judges who deal … more important or difficult cases around the country, and … 30 other judges, all … whom belong to one … the divisions … the High Court of Justice. The highest appointments are made … the Crown … the advice of the Prime Minister, and lower positions on the advice of … Lord Chancellor.

Other appointments … judges are supposedly made … non-political grounds. Once appointed, senior judges cannot be … practice removed … office until the retiring age … 75.

VII. Explain the italicized grammar constructions in the following sentences.

1. As there is no judicial profession in England, all judges are usually appointed from the ranks of senior barristers, although advocates or solicitors have now become eligible for some of the lower positions.

2. Some become circuit judges, of whom there are about 300, assigned to county courts throughput the country.

3. Above these there are about 50 High Court judges dealing with more important or difficult cases around the country, and about 30 other judges, all of whom belong to one of the divisions of the High Court of Justice.

4. Once appointed, senior judges cannot be in practice removed from office until the retiring age of 75.

5. Judges are usually safe, conventional people and generally tend to support the accepted wisdom and status quo.

VIII. Write a paragraph containing two points for and two against the statement “It is very difficult to become a lawyer”. Then discuss your answer with other students.

IX. Discuss the system of legal professions in Great Britain and compare it with the system of legal professions in Russia. Unit 4.2 The Career in Law

Read the text to fulfil the tasks.

In some countries in order to practise as a lawyer it is necessary to get a university degree in law. However, in others, a degree may be insufficient, professional examinations must be passed. In Britain, it is not in fact nec­essary to have a degree, although nowadays most people entering the pro­fession do. The main requirement is to pass the Bar Final examination (for barristers) or the Law Society Final examination (for solicitor). Someone with university degree in a subject other than law needs first to take a pre­paratory course. Someone without a degree at all may also prepare for the final examination, but this will take several years. In most countries, law­yers will tell you that the time they spent studying for their law finals was one of the worst periods of their life! This is because an enormous number of procedural rules covering a wide area of law must be memorized. In Japan, where there are relatively few lawyers, the examinations are sup­posed to be particularly hard: less than 5 percent of candidates pass. Even after passing the examination, though, a lawyer is not necessarily qualified. A solicitor in England, for example, must then spend two years as an arti­cled clerk, during this time his work is closely supervised by an experienced lawyer, and he must take further courses. Many problems are dealt with exclusively by a solicitor. For instance, the solicitors deals with petty crimes and some matrimonial matters in Magistrates’ Courts, the lowest Courts. He prepares the case and the evidence. In a civil action he can speak in the County Court, when the case is one of divorce or recovering some debts. In the County Court the solicitor wears a black gown over his ordinary clothes. A solicitor also deals with matters outside Court. He does the legal work involved in buying a house, for instance. If you want to make a will the best man to advise you is a solicitor. To qualify as a solicitor, a young man or woman joins a solicitor as a “clerk” and works for him while studying part time for the “Law Society” exams. It is not necessary for you to go to university. When you have passed all the necessary exams, you can “practice”, which means you can start business on your own.

Barristers are different from solicitors. Barristers are experts in the interpretation of the Law. They are called in to advise on really difficult points. The barrister is also an expert in advocacy (the art of presenting cases in Court). Barristers do not have public offices in any street. They work in what are known as chambers, often in London. To qualify as a barrister you have to take the examinations of the Bar Council.

The rate at which the legal profession grows is terrific. In the 21^st cen­tury the number of lawyers will probably outpace the rate of population growth.

Why is the career in law so popular? In the USA the average salary of experienced lawyers in private practice is more than $100,000.

Lawyers' salaries are substantially greater than those of many other pro­fessionals. The glamour of legal practice strengthens the attraction of its financial rewards.

Text-study