Lexi's Adventures: London: Day 9: Inns of Court, Royal Courts of Justice, Lincoln's Inn, Policing Differences lecture

Today was a day with a lot of walking and it was interesting to learn something new about their justice system, that is certain. We made a walk around the Inns of Court, something I never knew even existed. Then we walked through the Royal Courts of Justice, where unfortunately photography is prohibited. It was very nice inside there though.

So what the heck are the Inns of Court? First and foremost, I learned that there are two different types of attorneys in England; barristers and solicitors. What? Why? Solicitors are the first people that the public go to general consultation. Then they are referred to barristers for more specialized counsel and to appear in court with them. The barristers still wear wigs and gowns when they appear in court. Weird? Yes. Hilarious? Absolutely.

So the Inns of Court are basically where barristers train, eat, and live. I still haven't quite figured out why they live there instead of treating the area more like a office place, but it's interesting regardless. These temples were originally owned by the Knights Templar. Thus why you have Inner and Middle Temples. Apparently there's competition, from what I gathered. The architecture is really lovely. The "Virgin" Queen Elizabeth gave the middle temple a tree, which they cut down and made into a giant table for their dining hall. They also made a fountain and have mulberry trees. The inner temple has a tall monument with a horse and two knights riding together on it. I guess there are issues because the horse's ass points in the direction of the middle temple with its tail up. Like I said, rivalry of some sort.

We made a quick walk to the Royal Courts of Justice. This where issues like appeals and civil trials are heard. I wasn't allowed to take any photography inside unfortunately, although I wish I could have. United States courthouses do not even begin to compare to the these old English courthouses. The courts are back in session this week after a break for the holidays. Only one court was being used and we could just barely look through the window. Apparently they keep their defendant's in what is called a "dock" during criminal appeals, in which they are only present if they are discussing new details of the case. The dock is this box that holds the defendant. Like a clear box... Both prosecutors and defense can begin an appeal. From my understanding of the appeals process, it's really only the defense who brings about appeals in the US. This is another interesting difference, I noted. Do you think we should wear wigs and gowns in court? I think it'd be hilarious.

Well, we made another walk to look at Ravenscroft, the place that sells these wigs and gowns. I'm really not kidding about them. Seems a bit antiquated?

Next was Lincoln's Inn, which we just looked over shortly. It's just another section of the Inns of Court, in which there are four, and we got to see three of them. These areas are actually quite immaculate, with their manicured lawns and everything nice and clean.

We then had a lecture with David Little. He discussed the differences between the US and UK policing systems. This is something that we have been touching on quite a bit throughout our trip. Everyone does seem to mention it when we are talking about police at all. There are many differences but there are also similarities. It's also difficult to compare different systems sometimes. He compared NYPD and MPS (Metropolitan Police Service), I'm assuming because they are both very large (oh my gosh, I cannot even imagine working for a police department with over 30k officers, what?) and work in diverse communities. Both of the police ranking structures were so confusing to me. What does an Inspector do? For both NYPD and MPS... We don't have those at the Lakewood Police Department. The ranking structure is very simple and not convoluted. Generally, what I am gathering is that they are quite similar, but there are also differences. This is primarily in how they approach situations versus how American police so, and honestly I think a lot of this has to do with the carrying of a firearm...

Well, that is all for me today. Tomorrow we have a tour of the Highgate Cemetery, not sure why but it should be interesting. Then a free afternoon. I might go get a picture of New Scotland Yard before they sell it and move. Might try to go see the Tardis photo op. Then I might go down towards Piccadilly Circus where they have souvenir shops, if I still need more. I very well might need more, so I might go down there regardless. Bit nervous to go by myself, but maybe I can get someone else to go with me. If not, I can manage on my own. I love shopping.