The Origins and Development of the Cab Rank Rule for Barristers in England and Wales

In England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions barristers are required to take instructions, sent through the intermediary of a solicitor, in any case provided it is in a field in which they profess to practise (having regard to their experience and seniority), subject to their availability, and payment of a proper professional fee. This is known as the Cab Rank Rule. The origins of this professional rule are traced with certainty to the end of the 18th Century. An attempt is made to locate earlier manifestations of the principles upon which it was built involving examination of cases and other sources in the 17th and 16th Centuries.