History of the Inns of Court, the structure and workings.?

Question

Please tell me how their organized, if they have a specific ritual, what does it involve?

Answer 1

Here are some sites with info:

http://www.law.gmu.edu/innofcourt/history.html
http://www.innsofcourt.org/Content/InnContent.aspx?Id=712
http://www.law.msu.edu/inns/hmg.html
http://law.missouri.edu/whitman/innsofcourt/page_01.htm

Answer 2

The Inns of Court are bodies to which all practising barristers in England and Wales must belong. There are four Inns. Middle and Inner Temple lie between The Strand/Fleet Street and the Embankment. These are built on land which was purchased in the 12th century by the Knights Templar. When that order was abolished the land passed to The Knights Hospittalar. Their lands were confiscated in the 16th century and in the 17th were given to the Benchers of the Inn by James I/VI on the condition that they maintained in perpetuity the Temple Church. The other two Inn are Lincoln's Inn, situate to the south of Holborn and Gray's Inn to its north. Very roughly the Middle and Inner Temples house barristers who deal with Common Law, matrimonial and criminal law and Lincoln and Gray's Inns with things like property law, wills etc. The Inns are responsible for regulating entry to the barristers profession and everyone wishing to follow that calling becomes a 'pupil' to a practising barrister and has to 'dine' in the Hall of his Inn for a number of times before she/he can qualify. Each Inn has a Master and a number of benchers who are the governing 'committee' and exercise professional control over the members of the Inn. There is no specific 'ritual' - the Inns are not a secret society like, say, the Freemasons.