The barristers at the Supreme Court seemed to be presenting the case from a book they had, both were eloquently spoken, and their speech was free-flowing and exuberant. They would read out a page number, chapter number, and tab number and everyone (excluding the public and clerks) present in court would turn to the particular page they were referring to. I was unable to know what the outcome of this case was in the end, as the judge adjourned the case before reaching a verdict. I found that the case was hard to follow, partly because I did not have the book they were following during the trial, but what I did comprehend was that some of the Acts of Parliament were being read out frequently. At the County Court the Solicitors would refer to gathered evidence, which seemed to be sheets of paper in a file. I noticed that the speeches were more in layman terms and they did not refer to Acts of Parliaments as frequently as in the Supreme Court.
I noticed that the courtroom of the Supreme Court had a very high ceiling and the layout of the room included many tables parallel to each other, arranged into a hierarchy of judges, barristers, solicitors and finally the public. A barristers' job includes giving advice to solicitors. Solicitors give legal advice to their clients. I felt there was no relationship between the barristers and solicitors at this case, probably due to the fact that they were not facing each other in the seating plan, whereas the judges and barristers had a more formal and respectful relationship towards each other and hence more discussion between them. Moreover, between the barristers, I felt that there was also no relationship, as there was no physical or verbal communication present. There were five judges in the Supreme Courtroom who were sitting around a semi-circled table, and they were not wearing any special clothing, such as in The Old Bailey where judges where wear a long wig and a black cloak. The judges simply wore suits. There was also one judge whom I noticed participated more than the others i.e. questioned barristers more. I felt the ambiance was very formal and tense.
The County Courtroom on the other hand was significantly smaller with only one judge and two barristers. The judge sat on a raised platform and there was a table for the clerk whom sat underneath him, unlike the Supreme Court where the judges sat on the same level as the barristers, solicitors and the public. There was also a table for both barristers whom were wearing suits like the judge, but they sat on the opposite ends of a long rectangular table. Both took turns to speak, speaking very clearly and formally. The atmosphere seemed to be more relaxed and laid back.
The changes that I would make to the Supreme Court case would include perhaps the distribution of the book that the court members possessed to the public in the courtroom to help follow the case better. As for the County Court there was a large distance between where the barristers and the public were seated, it was difficult to hear the case and I didn’t feel like I was a part of it unlike in the Supreme Court.
Fig. 1
The picture shown in Fig. 1 is the layout of the Supreme Court.
Bibliography
Fig. 1- Taken from the following website:
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