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

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.