UK Inns of Court
The Inns of Court were, as the name implies, public houses close to Justice Hall, or the Sessions House, now the Old Bailey but officially called the Central Criminal Courts and the Royal Courts of Justice. Up to the 18th century the Inns of Court were a cluster of 'finishing schools for gentlemen' and provided not just legal training but upper-class life skills and facilities to network and cultivate business contacts.

The number of the Inns have been reduced now to only four; Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. Today they are complex landmark buildings with chambers for barristers. From the Middle Ages the English legal profession comprised serjeants and barristers. Then came attorneys and in the 16th century the solicitor emerged.

Barristers argued cases and points of law on behalf of clients, attorneys were court officials and for a short time solicitors roles were somewhere in the middle. In 1729 solicitors and attorneys became subject to very tight regulations and those professionals were expected to join 'the Society of Gentlemen Practisers in the Courts of Law and Equity', then became The Law Society. By the 19th century, the term attorney been fallen into disrepute and subsequently abolished.

The barristers' status dates back to the 16th century and is conferred by the Inns of Court and recognised in the central law courts. Still today, the Inns of Court call qualified students to the bar; this is the first step that entitles them to practice the profession of barrister. If a barrister falls into disgrace, they are disbarred.

Solicitors form the largest part of the legal profession numbering about 93,000. The majority work in private practice whilst the remainder work in-house for companies, charities or within government.

Barristers number only 14,000 and are broken down into 80% independent barristers or self-employed barristers and 20% employed barristers, these work in-house for companies, charities and government organisations.

Barristers act on instruction from solicitors; they have little or no contact with members of the public.

Only 1530 students were called to the bar between 1660 and 1850.

112 barristers were called to the bench between 1660 and 1850.

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