A junior barrister is a barrister who has not yet attained the rank of Queen's Counsel.[1] Although the term is archaic and not commonly used, junior barristers (or "juniors") can also be referred to as utter barristers derived from "outer barristers" or barristers of the outer bar,[2] in distinction to Queen's Counsel at the inner bar. They may also be referred to as stuff gownsmen,[3] in contradistinction to the silk gowns worn by Queen's Counsel (who are therefore also known as "silks"[4]).
When students are called to the bar in jurisdictions which maintain barristers as a separate profession, they are said to be "called to the Degree of an Utter Barrister..." on their certificate of call. This reflects that in English court rooms Queen's Counsel sits one row further forward than junior barristers (historically, the Attorney General sits one row further forward still, although the Attorney General appears so rarely in court in modern times that the convention has largely been abandoned in that respect).
Because a relatively small proportion of barristers become Queen's Counsel, it is quite common for a "junior barrister" to be middle aged. Junior barristers who are over 10 years' call are sometimes referred to as "senior juniors".[5]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ "Your career as a barrister" (PDF). General Council of the Bar. p. 18. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Utter Barrister". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ ""stuff-gownsman"". Wordnik. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Your career as a barrister" (PDF). General Council of the Bar. p. 19. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Working with Barristers" (PDF). Law Society of New South Wales. p. 20. Retrieved 7 October 2015.