The United Kingdom is an island country, one of the 27 sovereign countries which comprise the European Union. The UK itself is made up of four constituent countries, namely England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Aside from being one the world’s most powerful political and economic countries, the United Kingdom is famous for its rich heritage. Part of its charm are the wealth of historical sites which remain in evidence of a sometimes troubled, yet prominent history.
The UK is now one of the world’s leading financial centres. London, the capital of the UK, is the world’s most powerful financial centre. Financial services comprise the main portion of the British service sector. A sector which has developed to a point where it has effectively replaced and improved on the erstwhile heavy industries at the prime contributor to the GDP. The Financial Sector in the UK offers the greatest number and variety of Legal Careers anywhere. From Legal Assistants through Legal Executives, and upwards through Solicitors, Barristers and beyond opportunities for Career progression in the UK are significant.

While the United Kingdom is a union, a stipulation within the Treaty of Union permits Scotland the right to a separate legal system. In fact Northern Ireland also has its own system of law, making for three separate systems of law within the UK. Wales and England are both subject to English Law which is based on the principles of common-law. Northern Ireland’s legal system is based on the same principles. It is only Scotland which has a system that incorporates the principles of both common and civil-law. Scotland is also unique throughout the world for the three possible verdicts which can be handed down at a criminal trial. Aside from being found either ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’, a verdict of ‘not proven’ may also be delivered. In this event, as with a ‘not guilty’ verdict, the defendant is acquitted. Scotland’s legal system also differs in that the House of Lords, the highest court for England, Wales and Northern Ireland for both civil and criminal cases, only features in Scotland’s civil cases, and then only in a few instances when the Court of Session requires it. Criminal cases in Scotland are all tried in the High Court of Justiciary and there is no further appeal.

Although the systems of law of the United Kingdom have influenced countries around the world, the United Kingdom is perhaps as well known for its ability to progress and redefine vital aspects to accommodate the needs of a changing political and social environment. A fact which is discernible in the constitutional changes which have paved the way for a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. This new court will assume the appeal duties which have hitherto rested with the House of Lords.

Britain's legal system is both ancient and thoroughly modern. Those who work within it are likely to experience the sense of grand history which has impacted on the world in innumerable ways, and yet its character is such that it grows and develops to meet the complexities and challenges of the 21st century.