A Philadelphia Lawyer in the London Courts

LICITORS-THE NUMBER OF SOLICITORS IN ENGLAND AND WALES-TENDENCY TOWARD ABOLISHING THE DISTINCTION BETWEE

stages, or occasionally retains a barrister to give a written opinion upon a concrete question of law. The solicitor conducts all the negotiations or threats which usually precede a lawsuit and if compromise is impossible he brings a suit and retains a junior barrister by handing him a brief, which consists of a written narrative of t

rporations to have a permanent barrister, because the solicitor selects one from time to time, as the occasion requires, and the client is rarely even consulted in the choice. When an Englishman speaks of his

ng. He may seek business, which the barrister can not do, and he is something of a banker, often a promoter. Some solicitors, especially those practicing at Liverpool, are admiralty men, others are adepts in the orga

ises, warning the wayward son, comforting the daughter whose affections are misplaced and succoring the gambling father, is suffic

many departments, whose duties are so specialized that no one of them has much grasp of the business as a whole. The name of such a firm, appearing as sponsor for an extensive financ

Instead of being concentrated, like the barristers, in the Inns of Court in London, solicitors are scattered all over the town and throughout the Kingdom itself. Some, especially in the minor towns or poorer quarters of London, are in a small way of business and must earn rather

the times to weaken, if not eventually to abolish. It is somewhat hard upon the solicitor of real ability to be confined to a limited field and to feel that, no matter how great

e latter; they frequently allude somewhat lightly to them as though they were useless ornaments and as if such a division of the profession were

e whole field of both branches of the profession. Then, too, the small number of persons composing the Bar enables greater control by the benchers over their professional conduct, and helps to maintain a high standard of ethics and the feeling of esprit de corps. Moreover, the Bar is not distracted from the science

ourts, the limit of whose jurisdiction is constantly being increased, with the result of developing a species of solicitor-advocate, whose functions are very similar to those of the barrister. The more this progresses, the g

composed of lawyers of whom some are known as distinctively trial lawyers, while the other members devote themselves to the business of the law, a

ters' methods, and have acquired a knowledge of affairs. Of course they must first retire as solicitors and e

mselves in the conventional frock or morning coat and silk hat which is indispensable for all London business men. They all,