INNS OF COURT
The Inns of Court are professional training institutions for lawyers who come to study here. London has four Inns of Court: Inner Temple (King's Bench Walk), Middle Temple (Middle Temple Lane), Lincoln's Inn (Lincoln's Inn Field) and Gray's Inn (Gray's Inn Road). In addition to their role in the training of lawyers, they also supervise the profession. Each barrister (lawyer) belongs to one of these schools. Barristers wear the traditional white wigs and only they are authorized to defend or prosecute the accused and to plead in court. Since the 13th century, the Inns of Court have strictly controlled admission to the English bar and those who wish to become barristers must still study at one of the four Inns of Court today. The system is actually a kind of patronage, in that it is difficult to become a barrister without a network of good contacts. These venerable and traditionalist institutions are built around a central courtyard, modelled on the Oxford and Cambridge colleges. The Inns of Court are a collection of passages, courtyards and lawns of undeniable charm. Lincoln's Inn is the oldest and certainly the most beautiful with its Tudor-style gate and chapel dating back to 1623. Famous figures such as Thomas More, Oliver Cromwell and Margaret Thatcher studied there. Just next door is Lincoln's Inn Field, London's largest square, built in 1640.
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