# Brits: Please parse and translate this sentence. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2004, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199 "2004-10-20T12:19:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/1 "2004-10-20T12:19:44Z")
> [@](#): > > One Brick Court silk and Conservative MP Edward Garnier QC is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq. Specifically, what does the group of words “One Brick Court silk” mean? And what is a “QC”? The rest makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/2 "2004-10-20T12:35:16Z")
A “silk” is a barrister (reference to the robes worn thereby) - a lawyer who has been “called to the bar”, meaning they’re allowed to work in high courts (I think - maybe someone can clarify). “QC” is Queen’s Counsel - the title given to a barrister. [Brick Court](http://www.brickcourt.co.uk/) is “one of the leading sets of Barristers Chambers in London”. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/3 "2004-10-20T12:38:52Z")
[One Brick Court](http://www.onebrickcourt.com/about.asp) is a Barristers Chambers in the Temple - an area in London with many legal firms (called chambers). The Temple is the historic headquarters of the Knights Templar. A [Silk](http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/silk+(lawyer)) is a senior Barrister, also known as a [QC (Queens Counsel)](http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/qc). Simon ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/4 "2004-10-20T12:46:23Z")
A QC is a queen’s counsel. Only the most senior barristers are QCs. They’re called that because originally they were allowed to act as lawyers for the Crown. When there is a king, they are called king’s counsels (KCs). ‘Silk’ is just a nickname for them as they wear silk gowns. ‘One Brick Court’ is called that because they’re based at 1 Brick Court in the Temple in London. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/5 "2004-10-20T12:49:34Z")
Hello? :taptaptap: Is this thing on? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/6 "2004-10-20T13:19:32Z")
OK **jjimm** is spot on, but the sentence is hard to parse. One Brick Court silk and Conservative MP Edward Garnier QC is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq. Edward Garnier is: An individual person a member of the Conservative Political Party a Member of Parliament a barrister (AKA ‘silk’) with the title QC based at Brick Court He is leading a campaign against Blair. Perhaps it makes more sense this way Edward Garnier QC is a Conservative MP and is also a Brick Court silk. He is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/7 "2004-10-20T13:24:32Z")
Ooh, very fancy! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/8 "2004-10-20T13:29:53Z")
I think the navy blue was a mistake though; Dark Red is more in keeping with the other autumnal shades. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/9 "2004-10-20T13:32:14Z")
Dark Red isn’t very Tory though. So anyway, I guess to parse in plainer English: “Edward Garnier, who is both a barrister at the legal firm called Brick Court, and also a Conservative MP, is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/10 "2004-10-20T13:37:57Z")
Actually, Mangetout, the “One” is part of the name “[One Brick Court](http://www.onebrickcourt.com/about.asp)”. Apart from that, spot on… ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/11 "2004-10-20T13:38:32Z")
I’m confused. 😕 Why is Conservative Party Green. Isn’t that a different party? And aren’t bricks usually Red? Appallingly phrased sentence, who wrote it? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/12 "2004-10-20T13:39:11Z")
Oh, and: > [@jjimm](#): > > “Edward Garnier, who is both a barrister at the \*\*legal firm \*\* called Brick Court, and also a Conservative MP, is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq.” No! Barrister’s chambers are **not** firms. They are simply shared offices. Barristers work for themselves, not for a firm. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/13 "2004-10-20T13:40:48Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > Appallingly phrased sentence, who wrote it? I think the original phrase is quite pithily written, actually. It reads a lot better than > [@jjimm](#): > > “Edward Garnier, who is both a barrister at the legal firm called Brick Court, and also a Conservative MP, is leading the charge to impeach the Prime Minister over the invasion of Iraq.” at any rate! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/14 "2004-10-20T14:09:37Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Actually, Mangetout, the “One” is part of the name “[One Brick Court](http://www.onebrickcourt.com/about.asp)”. > > Apart from that, spot on… I stand corrected; I spotted **si\_blakely** mention this, but thought it was a misunderstanding. The original sentence makes perfect sense if you are familiar with the terms; if you’re not, it is too easy to get confused into thinking _brick_ and _silk_ are being used as ordinary nouns. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/15 "2004-10-20T14:13:35Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Barrister’s chambers are **not** firms. They are simply shared offices. Barristers work for themselves, not for a firm. Oh arse. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/16 "2004-10-20T14:18:57Z")
For what it’s worth, in the American system all lawyers may function in nearly all legal roles – giving advice and writing up documents in their offices, functioning as attorney privileged to speak for the client in meetings, and representing their clients in court. (Admission to the bars of specific appellate courts comes after a period of practice and experience in courts of first instance.) Mostly, representation in courts is an extremely minor part of a typical American lawyer’s practice, unless he happens to be a public prosecutor or defender, protagonist of a lawyer TV show, Ron Cochran, or John Edwards. In the English system, legal counsel and advice, and the crafting of legal documents, are given by Solicitors. But arguing a case in court, knowing when to enter objections, file motions, etc., is restricted to one group of lawyers trained to the job, the Barristers. (i.e., “Trial lawyer” is a recognized specialty for which one has special training and licensing.) And the Barristers are trained at, and many operate out of, the Inns of Court in London, which include the Inner and Middle Temple (cf. the Templars connection mentioned above). We will not discuss at this time what the Scots do. Suffice it to say that eating haggis, wearing kilts, and tossing the caber are not merely colorful ethnic traditions… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/17 "2004-10-20T15:12:41Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > In the English system, legal counsel and advice, and the crafting of legal documents, are given by Solicitors. But arguing a case in court, knowing when to enter objections, file motions, etc., is restricted to one group of lawyers trained to the job, the Barristers. (i.e., “Trial lawyer” is a recognized specialty for which one has special training and licensing.) And the Barristers are trained at, and many operate out of, the Inns of Court in London, which include the Inner and Middle Temple (cf. the Templars connection mentioned above). But with the caveat that some solicitors now do have the right to argue cases in court. Admittedly, this is a bit of an unfair nitpick as explaining what the distinction used to be and which, for most lawyers, still applies is the only way one can hope to explain such mysteries to the uninitiated. > [@Mangetout](#): > > The original sentence makes perfect sense if you are familiar with the terms; if you’re not, it is too easy to get confused into thinking brick and silk are being used as ordinary nouns. Whoever wrote the sentence wants to sound like an informed insider, which, for all we know, given that **toadspittle** hasn’t said where it comes from, they might be. The insinuation is not just that the reader should know that One Brick Court is a barristers’ chambers but that they ought to think it interesting that the barrister in question is a member of those particular chambers. As if anyone other than other barristers would care. It’s a standard journalistic trick. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/18 "2004-10-20T18:07:11Z")
> [@APB](#): > > As if anyone other than other barristers would care. [You may be right](http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=112565&d=11&h=24&f=46) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/19 "2004-10-20T19:30:37Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Actually, Mangetout, the “One” is part of the name “[One Brick Court](http://www.onebrickcourt.com/about.asp)”. > > Apart from that, spot on… Actually, the name is derived from its address, which in Associated Press style would be written “1 Brick Court,” and the U.S. Postal Service would write “1 BRICK CT,” both of which to my eyes are a little less ambiguous than “One Brick Court.” So he’s a barrister whose office is at 1 Brick Court, which is probably a pretty fancy address for a lawyer, like K Street in Washington, D.C. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199/20 "2004-10-20T19:33:37Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > > [@Colophon](#): > > > > Barrister’s chambers are not firms. They are simply shared offices. Barristers work for themselves, not for a firm. > > Oh arse. In fact, I believe that barristers are prohibited from forming firms. They are allowed to share offices (chambers) and share a clerk, though. Solicitors bring cases to the clerk in the chambers and the clerk decides which barrister gets the case. Barristers are also prohibited from accepting payment directly from clients; they have to wait for the solicitors’ firm to collect payment and bring them their share. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-please-parse-and-translate-this-sentence/270199.md?page=2)