Organisation of the Bar
The Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court, the others being Lincoln's Inn, the Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. These Societies have the sole right to call men and women to the Bar, and to admit them to the degree of barrister of law. Once admitted, and having completed twelve months of pupillage, barristers have rights of audience in every court in England and Wales. Barristers appear in court, draft documents and give advice. Although some solicitors may now qualify for rights of audience, the quality of advice and advocacy provided by the Bar remains pre-eminent. There are two ranks of barristers. The majority are Juniors, formerly known as "stuff gownsmen". Time and professional eminence may bring them to the ranks of Queen's Counsel, also known as "Silks".
The representative body of the profession is the General Council of the Bar, composed almost entirely of practising barristers and largely elected by the Bar itself. The regulatory arm of the Bar Council is the Bar Standards Board. There is also a Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) which considers and implements the policies of the Bar Council and serves as a co-ordinating body between all the Inns. COIC also concerns itself with educational and recruiting matters, a reflection of the collegiate functions of the Inns.
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