Exercises. 1. Find the English equivalents for the following expressions

1. Find the English equivalents for the following expressions

1. солиситор, адвокат, юрисконсульт, стряпчий

2. увеличиваться, возрастать

3. составляют самую большую ветвь

4. юридический, правовой, легальный, законный

5. иметь дело с чем-либо или кем-либо

6. составить завещание

7. барристер, адвокат, юрист

8. представлять клиента

9. выступать в качестве защитника

10. выступать в качестве обвинителя, предъявить иск; преследовать в судебном или уголовном порядке

11. парики и мантии

12. профессиональная структура

13. королевский адвокат

14. судья

15. председательствовать

16. суд присяжных, присяжные

17. наугад, произвольно

18. список избирателей

19. голосовать на выборах

20. свидетельское показание, улика, доказательство

21. подсудимый

22. виновен или невиновен

23. назначить наказание

24. магистрат, мировой судья

25. суд низшей инстанции

26. коронер, патологоанатом, судмедэксперт

27. расследовать

28. насильственная смерть

29. секретарь суда

2. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of lawyers make up the largest branch of the legal profession in England and Wales?

2. What do solicitors deal with in their job?

3. Can solicitors represent their clients in court?

4. What do barristers specialize in?

5. What do barristers wear in court?

6. Where do judges preside?

7. How many people does a jury consist of?

8. How are jurors chosen?

9. What is the jury’s main function?

10. What do magistrates do in their job?

11. Do they have any formal legal qualifications?

12. What do coroners deal with?

13. What do clerks of the court look after?

3. Complete the sentences:

1. Solicitors in Great Britain make up…

2. Solicitors deal with all the day-to-day work of…

3. Solicitors prepare cases for…

4. Barristers specialize in…

5. In court, barristers wear…

6. The highest level of barristers…

7. There are a few hundred judges, trained as barristers, who…

8. A jury consist of…

9. The jury decide whether…

10. If the person is found guilty…

11. Magistrates are usually unpaid and have no…

12. Coroners inquire into…

13. Clerks look after…

Text 2: “Solicitors and barristers”

Task 1: read and translate the text

The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales is divided between solicitors and barristers. Both are trained in law but serve different functions in the practice of law.

Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions. Solicitors - the other class of lawyer - have more direct access with clients, and deal with all the day-to-day work of preparing legal documents for buying and selling houses, making wills, etc. Barristers are rarely hired by clients directly but instead are retained by solicitors to act on behalf of clients.

Barristers speak in court and present the case before a judge or jury. In contrast, solicitors generally engage in preparatory work and advice, such as drafting and reviewing legal documents, preparing evidence, etc. Solicitors can provide crucial support to a barrister in court, e.g. in managing large volumes of documents in the case or even negotiating settlements outside the courtroom while the trial continues inside.

Barristers have full rights of audience to appear in all courts, from highest to lowest. Solicitors, on the other hand, have traditionally only been able to appear as advocates in the lower courts (that is, the magistrates’ and county courts) and tribunals.

Another historical difference between the two professions—and the only essential difference in England and Wales today — is that a solicitor is an attorney. It means they can act in the place of their clients for legal purposes (as in signing contracts) and may conduct litigation on their behalf. A barrister is not an attorney and is usually forbidden, either by law or professional rules or both, from "conducting" litigation.

Until recently, there were two most obvious differences between the two professions. Firstly, only barristers had exclusive and wide rights of audience in all courts in England and Wales, and secondly, only solicitors could be directly engaged for payment by clients. These differences have been eroded by recent changes.

Thus, under section 17 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, solicitors with appropriate advocacy experience are entitled to acquire higher “rights of audience”, enabling them to appear in the higher courts. They are known as solicitor-advocates. However, in practice solicitors often continue to engage a barrister to undertake any required advocacy in court.

In addition to that, since 2004, barristers have been allowed to accept “instructions” (that is, to be hired) directly by the clients whom they represent. The involvement of a solicitor is not compulsory, though in certain areas it is still desirable.