6 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

Dont forget there are no English attorneys.

Hmmm, Ah-me-ri-kans could say English lawyers who are also members of the New York Bar (or any other US state bar) are English attorneys, no? 😅 For example, the handsome international law barrister Alex Haines who's also called to the New York and Washington DC Bars. 😉

And what about the beautiful and brilliant Amal Clooney? She was called to the New York Bar long before she became a barrister in the UK. A British attorney, surely. 😛

8 hours ago, mauRICE said:

Hmmm, Ah-me-ri-kans could say English lawyers who are also members of the New York Bar (or any other US state bar) are English attorneys, no? 😅 For example, the handsome international law barrister Alex Haines who's also called to the New York and Washington DC Bars. 😉

And what about the beautiful and brilliant Amal Clooney? She was called to the New York Bar long before she became a barrister in the UK. A British attorney, surely. 😛

With respect  as we lawyers say, or with the greatest respect,  if you want to be a bit rude, it depends on the context. Yes, a dual qualified lawyer in the USA and England  and Wales, or Scotland, can be a qualified US attorney, many are,  but I would still argue that they are not an English attorney! They are a US Attorney,  who happens to be of English nationality. I accept that it's rather a subtle distinction! 

 

I would point out though, that you cannot, in any event,  be a British qualified  lawyer, as Scotland  has a different  legal system,  as a result  of being our enemy  and allied with France, rather a long time ago! Hence, I am, or was, a solicitor of the Superior Courts of England and Wales. I accept, however,  that if you can say that a British citizen, who is qualified  in the US, is a British attorney, then that would follow. Don't get me started on Northern Ireland!

3 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

With respect  as we lawyers say, or with the greatest respect,  if you want to be a bit rude, it depends on the context. Yes, a dual qualified lawyer in the USA and England  and Wales, or Scotland, can be a qualified US attorney, many are,  but I would still argue that they are not an English attorney! They are a US Attorney,  who happens to be of English nationality. I accept that it's rather a subtle distinction! 

 

I would point out though, that you cannot, in any event,  be a British qualified  lawyer, as Scotland  has a different  legal system,  as a result  of being our enemy  and allied with France, rather a long time ago! Hence, I am, or was, a solicitor of the Superior Courts of England and Wales. I accept, however,  that if you can say that a British citizen, who is qualified  in the US, is a British attorney, then that would follow. Don't get me started on Northern Ireland!

or Isle of Man and Channel Islands ?

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

or Isle of Man and Channel Islands ?

Separate legal systems.

8 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

With respect  as we lawyers say, or with the greatest respect,  if you want to be a bit rude, it depends on the context. Yes, a dual qualified lawyer in the USA and England  and Wales, or Scotland, can be a qualified US attorney, many are,  but I would still argue that they are not an English attorney! They are a US Attorney,  who happens to be of English nationality. I accept that it's rather a subtle distinction! 

 

I would point out though, that you cannot, in any event,  be a British qualified  lawyer, as Scotland  has a different  legal system,  as a result  of being our enemy  and allied with France, rather a long time ago! Hence, I am, or was, a solicitor of the Superior Courts of England and Wales. I accept, however,  that if you can say that a British citizen, who is qualified  in the US, is a British attorney, then that would follow. Don't get me started on Northern Ireland!

Oh my! TWO paragraphs? Are you turning into PeterRS? Once you start writing three I'm going to send for help.

I use English and British in the above context purely as descriptors of nationality, not qualification. We're talking about Americans here, the majority whom don't even have passports and would need to find "overseas" on a map!

What about that ghastly Suella Braverman? She recently described herself as English! British, yes. But English? I say go fry your papadams!

And I don't have to tell you that solicitor has quite a different meaning in the States. 😉

 

On 8/18/2026 at 5:38 AM, Keithambrose said:

Superior Courts of England and Wales

Tongue in cheek but genuinely curious, superior to whom? Or are there Inferior Courts as a point of difference? 

Edit: I lazily did not exercise my Google finger prior to posting but have now been enlightened that there are, in fact, inferior courts 

5 hours ago, hank75 said:

Edit: I lazily did not exercise my Google finger prior to posting but have now been enlightened that there are, in fact, inferior courts 

perhaps  not inferior , just lower courts ?

On 8/18/2026 at 6:38 AM, Keithambrose said:

Hence, I am, or was, a solicitor of the Superior Courts of England and Wales. 

No Hong Kong? Quite a few who were admitted before 1997 as I imagine you were sought registration in Hong Kong too.

And was it Superior Courts back then, not Senior Courts?

As you know, we aren't a divided profession in Malaysia and Singapore, although most lawyers do one type of work or the other.

4 hours ago, mauRICE said:

No Hong Kong? Quite a few who were admitted before 1997 as I imagine you were sought registration in Hong Kong too.

And was it Superior Courts back then, not Senior Courts?

As you know, we aren't a divided profession in Malaysia and Singapore, although most lawyers do one type of work or the other.

You are right, I was admitted in HK, in 1982, when we opened our office,  which I administered from London. In those days you just turned up before the Chief Justice, said hi, so to speak, and you were admitted! Post 1997, much more difficult.

In England  and Wales, it used to be:

'The High Court of England  and Wales'.

But everything changes!

14 hours ago, hank75 said:

Tongue in cheek but genuinely curious, superior to whom? Or are there Inferior Courts as a point of difference? 

Edit: I lazily did not exercise my Google finger prior to posting but have now been enlightened that there are, in fact, inferior courts 

OK. As I said in another post, it was "The High Court of England and Wales".

3 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

 

But everything changes!

as they say " everything must change for  all stay the same" ?

12 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

You are right, I was admitted in HK, in 1982, when we opened our office,  which I administered from London. In those days you just turned up before the Chief Justice, said hi, so to speak, and you were admitted! Post 1997, much more difficult.

In England  and Wales, it used to be:

'The High Court of England  and Wales'.

But everything changes!

All of this to say that you're an Attorney?

3 hours ago, floridarob said:

All of this to say that you're an Attorney?

Or not...