#WednesdayWisdom: Why Are Barristers ‘Called To The Bar’?

Once a month, Scott Haley, Family Practice Manager at One Pump Court brings Lawyer Monthly Wednesday Wisdom, and this week he delves into the familiar expression of being ‘called to the bar’.

Being called to the bar has nothing to do with drinking alcoholic beverages, nor that old party classic, the Limbo dance. In fact, it harks back to the traditional layout of a courtroom – and there wasn’t a pint in sight.

Originally, courtrooms were partitioned off, or enclosed by two wooden bars. One bar separated the Judges Bench from the rest of the room; the other segregated the area for lawyers engaged in trials, from the riffraff (i.e. the general public), and from those appearing before the court.

Quite simply, Counsel who were called to the courtroom, would go to the “bar”, and be admitted into their delegated section of the room.

Nowadays however, being called to the bar literally means that you are fully qualified to practice as a barrister, and represent another party in court.