a corollary of the rule of law is the existence of a legal profession sufficiently autonomous to invoke the authority of the independent judiciary; the right to assistance of a barrister in a court proceeding emanates from this corollary—in england the function of barrister or advocate is distinguished from legal counselor. as the european court of human rights has stated, the law should be adequately accessible to everyone and people should be able to foresee how the law affects them.