Chapter 6 Key facts checklists
Personnel of the English Legal System
- The English legal system (ELS) is composed of a multitude of different professionals, both legal and lay.
- Barristers and solicitors were traditionally two very distinct roles in the ELS. Nowadays, a fusion of roles has occurred, meaning that the two professions are not as different as they formerly were.
- Judges are not employees of the state; rather, they hold office.
- Lay personnel include juries and magistrates who are responsible for trying cases in the Crown Court and magistrates’ court respectively.