Jennifer James provides a lesson on living with disappointment

Jennifer James considers the Cameron-Clegg alliance in the light of other famous double acts

This week’s Insider column was going to be an Up Pompeii spoof, with Lurcio the slave up to various high jinks in the house of Bruno Maximus (thereby getting in a few digs at our beloved, or at least beleaguered, leader).

Jennifer James toys with some new Christmas gift ideas

Jennifer James believes a lot can be learned from our Euro neighbours

Should lawyers be sworn in? Jennifer James has her doubts

Jennifer James travelled to Chicago and found herself in the GAY Bar at half-past eight on a Friday morning

Jennifer James on the culinary inns & outs of legal London

The Insider has been following the scandal of MPs' expenses claims with bated breath. As treasurer of the Young Solicitors' Group (YSG) way back in the Dark Ages, I was tasked with scrutinising expenses claims and can vouch for the fact that it does not improve one's popularity one iota.

Jennifer James, a self confessed couch potato, indulges in some Olympic meddling

The Insider has been struggling for the past few days and not with the usual bout of seasonal crapulence, despite the worst endeavours of wellmeaning friends who have dragged me along to a bevy of events at which mince pies, mulled wine and Quality Street have featured heavily.

Lawyers have a secret addiction…television. The Insider tells all

The Insider keeps her respect for the Met despite recent events

Sticks and stones may break lawyers’ bones, but names will never hurt them, says the Insider

With a little help from Hagrid, the Insider reveals some wizarding secrets

The Brits have a lot to learn from the Italians in the fashion stakes, says the Insider

Once bitten, twice shy? Not the Insider…

The insolence of some lawyers leaves the Insider aghast

Sumukhan Ltd v the Commonwealth Secretariat, Jackson and others v Thakrar and others

The insider reveals her fantasies about lawyers on reality TV

The Insider deplores Channel 4’s ratings-motivated exploitation of heinous housemates

Geoffrey Bindman is reminded of the fine balance between judicial independence & democracy

Geoffrey Bindman says there must be no hiding place for war criminals & torturers

Religious bodies need to temper emotion & abide by the general law, says Geoffrey Bindman

Geoffrey Bindman on receiving his fiftieth practising certificate

Geoffrey Bindman warns against underestimating the power of the ballot box

Sometimes you should believe what you read in the papers, says Geoffrey Bindman

Geoffrey Bindman argues the case for preserving our freedoms

The Gurkhas’ successful fight for justice evokes memories of another Gurkha campaign, says Geoffrey Bindman

In 1956 I was articled to a trade union solicitor. The firm, Rowley Ashworth, had acted for the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) since its foundation in about 1880. As at other trade union firms the bulk of the work was accident claims and the method of dealing with them was standard. Every day a heap of claim forms from union members would arrive from the union head office, where the hopeless cases would already have been weeded out.

In the 1980s I was solicitor to the London Embassy of Nicaragua. My only memorable task resulted from a telephone call from a man who claimed he could restore to Nicaragua a huge sum of money deposited by its former rulers, the Somoza family, in a Swiss bank.

The story told in the recent Channel 4 drama “The Devil’s Whore” takes place during the civil war in 17th century England.

Days of Yore

It may not be fashionable, but justice for all is still worth the fight, says Geoffrey Bindman

Geoffrey Bindman reveals the tragic tale of a gifted solicitor author

Racism was endemic in early immigration practices, says Geoffrey Bindman

Incitement to racial hatred has no place in a civilised society, says Geoffrey Bindman

The actions of one man transformed the regulation of the solicitors’ profession, says Geoffrey Bindman

Those brave enough to expose the state's dark underbelly should be celebrated, says Geoffrey Bindman

A heart-warming tale illustrates the importance of legal aid in achieving justice, says Geoffrey Bindman

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary, by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Back page bites.

Back Page Law Bites

Accounting reference periods A company’s financial year is the same as its accounting reference period (ARP) +/- seven days, and its ARP is 12 months beginning immediately after the end of the previous ARP.

Bribing judges Once upon a time a farmer was in dispute with his neighbour. Before the trial of their case, the solicitor to one of them said: “I am afraid your case is weak. You should accept the offer made to you.”

Crime and criminology Crime is what happens at 2 in the morning at the police station, when your would be client is in no condition to give coherent instructions, and then at 10 that morning at the magistrates', where his instructions are no more coherent. 'I wasn't there, but, if I was, I didn't do it. Criminology is a way of exercising your brain in the glades of academia.

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary by Roderick Ramage

Judge Irongirdle laments the inadequacies of claimants in person and district judges

Faced with the tedium of a messy divorce DJ Dithering takes drastic steps…

The end of an era. The Usher leaves the sinking ship of justice—before he is pushed

A dark day beckons as the Usher is forced to consider his future

The Usher is recognised in public and has to avert his gaze from too much leather and flesh in court

The Usher is reluctant to strike for his siblings and berates philanthropic lawyers

The usher whistles his way through a sporting tragedy, spots a rug and admits he has no soul

The usher runs over a few deeds for the environment

The usher casts a critical eye over judicial movements and wryly foxtrots into the New Year

Dominic Regan casts a wry eye over some interesting cases...

Dominic Regan suggests how to avoid some common pitfalls

Dominic Regan delves into a selection of gems from the English Law Reports

Dominic Regan casts a wry eye over some unusual cases..

Dominic Regan & Vicky Regan unpick the new disciplinary code

Dominic Regan takes a wry look at Jackson LJ’s costs terminology

Occasional Advice For The Judiciary And Lawyers On Matters Of The Mind, Heart And (Though Auntie Is A Bit Dodgy On It) The Law

This Week's Top Question

Michael Tyndale advises on how to ensure a stress-free life and make a fortune in the process

Peter Vaines explains the Queen’s speech

Dominic Regan & Vicky Regan unpick the new disciplinary code

Religious bodies need to temper emotion & abide by the general law, says Geoffrey Bindman

Voting fiasco may give rise to increase in election litigation

Michael Garson on the demise of the Home Information Pack

The jurisprudential gold standard needs to be revisited

Daniel Greenberg laments the introduction of nonsense legislation

Human rights issues have been increasingly creeping into the nooks and crannies of family law over the last decade.