#middle temple

[ciceroprofacto]

Law education in 18th century England

I'm not an English lawyer and my exposure to Cambridge and Middle Temple was brief. Per my previous post, this is just how I understood the English common law education system.

In the US, having a juris doctorate (JD) and passing the Bar examination gives a person the professional title of 'Lawyer'. As a graduate degree, one must have a bachelor's degree in any subject before they can start working towards a JD.

In modern England, the undergraduate degree in law makes someone a lawyer. They enter the field to be either a solicitor or a barrister (barristers argue cases in court and solicitors do everything else). Both have to pass their respective exams before they can formally practice law. Barristers attend an Inn of the Court and continue their education (keeping terms, going to lectures, completing readings, etc) to be "Called to the Bar." In the 18th century, they would've been evaluated by the Inns before being qualified to argue in court.

The Inns are located next to the royal courthouses and barristers live, eat, and study there while practicing law. In the 18th century, The Inns were somewhat like trade guilds for lawyers and they had their own internal governing bodies.

In modern times, a law student would attend a university like Oxford or Cambridge for their law degree before going to one of the Inns, but in the 18th century, gentlemen could be called to the Bar and live at an Inn of the Court without having a formally standardized degree in law as we would think of it today. They would be tradesmen, educated in other relevant areas and they would be trained on some common legal principles while at the Inn.

Here's another helpful article on the evolution of English legal education in the 1760s

[sometimeslondon]

The arch on Crown Office Row separating Middle Temple and Inner Temple in the Inns of Court

[theseimmortalcoils]

Middle Temple at London's Inns of Court. Read more about these historical lanes and buildings here.

Images © @sasha__wright

[my-deer-history]

On my trip to London last year, I visited Temple Church - the church that John Laurens, as a law student of Middle Temple, was required to attend to keep term.

The church itself has a long and fascinating history dating back to the 12th century, but the pertinent part for our purposes is that in the 14th century, two law schools were founded in the nearby Temple precinct - Inner and Middle Temples - and they jointly used the church for their services. This shared ownership is evident throughout the church, where you can see both coats of arms displayed side by side - the pegasus of Inner Temple, and the agnus dei of Middle Temple.

There is also a listing of leading figures of Temple Church, useful for reference purposes!

[my-deer-friend]

I am currently on holiday in London, and one of the highlights has been lunch with @mariexcherie at Middle Temple Hall - the building where John Laurens would have gone to "keep term" (in other words, to attend a certain number of formal dinners in order to progress with his qualification).

They don't allow photos inside, but here's one from their website.

[riesenfeldcenter]

Out of all of artist Feliks Topolski’s depictions of the Inns of Court, this image of the Middle Temple’s Fountain Court has to be my favorite.

[mtlibrary]

Once upon a time! Middle Temple Library was so close to the embankment that you could feed the ducks in the river by throwing crumbs from the library windows - allegedly.

The embankment is now a little further away and the library a little further back, but you can still see the Thames flowing away behind the trees and the traffic.

A particularly wintery sight today.

[schoolcollege]