Apprenticius ad legem

An apprentice to the law; a law student; a counsellor below the degree of serjeant; a barrister. See "Apprentice en la Ley."

An apprentice tothe law; a law student; a counselor below the degree of serjeant; a barrister. See APPRENTICE EN LA LEY.

Lat. [L. Fr. apprentise en la ley!\ In old English practice. An apprentice or student at law; a learner in the law; sometimes called apprenticius legis, (an apprentice or learner of the law), and apprenticius ad barras, (an apprentice at the bars or bar of the court); from which has been derived the modem term barrister. A title formerly given in England to counsellors below the degree of Serjeant. Spelnutn, voc. Apprenticii. 3 Bl, Com. 27. Fortescue de L, L, c. 60. Selden'9 notes, ibid. 3. Plowd. 102 a, et passim. Thus, Plowden says of a cause reported by him: " It was argued this term by many apprentices, and by all the Serjeants at the bar." Id. 102 a. Barristers are styled in the old books apprenticii ad legem, (apprentices at law,) from their being considered as merely learners, and not qualified to execute the full office of an advocate till they were of sixteen years' standing, at which time they might be called to the degree of serjeant. 3 Bl. Com, 27. The term apprentice appears to have been first used in the law; at least, the word does not occur in application to mechanic arts before the reign of Henry IV., while apprentices in law are mentioned in an ordinance in the twentieth year of Edward I. 2 Beeves' Hist, Eng. Law, 284, 285. • (7ra66't Hist. E, L, 191, 432 (Am. ed.) Spelman, voc. Apprenticii. The name of apprentice in law was given indiscriminately to all stu* dents, but those of the inns of court were distinguished by the epithet nobiliores, or apprenticii ad barras, because they were admitted to plead at the bars of all the courts, except the court of common pleas. Crabb*s Hist, E. Z. 431. Spelman. Fortescue, ubi sup. Plowden and Finch both style themselves in their works apprentices of law. After the word came to be applied to learners of the mechanic arts, it fell into disuse in law, and the term barrister took its place. Crab Vs Hist. ub. sup. It is used. bowerer, in the reports, as late as the eleventh year of Charles I. Wilkinson v. Merryland, Cro, Car. 449. Mr. Barrington is inclined to think that apprentice was a corruption of appris, or appris en Uy, (learned in the law, an epithet by which a counsellor is still described in records.) BarringL 311. Probably both terms were employed as designating the degrees of knowledge which the student successively attained, from apprenti, (a learner,) becomhig appris, (learned); but apprentice was certainly the established professional title. Formerly the smtor, who was the c Uent of the Serjeant, was called the master of the apprentice of the court whom he employed, whether that apprentice was acting as his attorney, or as his counsel in courts in which Serjeants did not usually attend. S Man. <t Or, 835, note, citing Serviens ad l^mn, 11, 46, 188. 3 Beeves* Hist. E. L. 233. See Attorney, Dominus, Master.