unincorporated societies of lawyers established in London in the mid 14th century, which offered residential accommodation and legal training for barristers. The four independent Inns of Court are: Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple and Gray's Inn. From the 16th century they made an effort to exclude attorneys (qv) and solicitors (qv) from their societies, reserving them to barristers and trainee barristers. It is the Inns of Court who call qualified members to the bar, enabling them act as advocates in the central law courts (see The legal profession to 1850)
The Inns of Court, in London, are the professional associations to one of which every English barrister (and those judges who were formerly barristers) must belong. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional accommodation.