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10 February 2017 / Kerry Underwood
Issue: 7733 / Categories: Features
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Anywhere county court 2018: send in the clowns

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A play by Kerry Underwood

The scene: One of the four remaining county courts. A personal injury small claim hearing is taking place.

 

Judge: “Good morning. Please introduce yourself.”

 

Claimant’s representative : “I am Fat Fred from the Dog and Duck.”

 

Judge : “I have a note from the Ipswich Union Insurance Company saying:

 

`Do your worst–£400.00. In fact as part of our corporate social responsibility kick throw in the extra £25.00 for the psychological injury—that will get a nice bunch of flowers.’”

 

Fat Fred: “I want as much as possible as quickly as possible. I am on 60% of damages.

 

Judge: “You mean 40% for you and 60% for your client?”

 

Fat Fred : “I know what I mean. I am a McKenzie Friend. I can do what I want.”

 

Judge : “I see. The medical evidence is from a Doctor Doolittle Is he here?”

 

Fat Fred : “Yes, that’s me. I am a McKenzie

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys senior leadership appointments

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths strengthens London Construction and Engineering practice with two strategic senior hires

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins announces strategic hire to deepen skills base in the social business sector

NEWS
More than 100 teams from the legal and financial services sectors competed in five sports at the 51st Law Society RFC Festival of Sport earlier this month
Part-time status need only be an effective cause of less favourable treatment, rather than the sole cause, the Supreme Court has held in Augustine v Data Cars
Britain’s new acknowledgement that Israel’s occupation is unlawful, and accompanying settlement-goods ban and sanctions, is significant but overdue, argue Danny Friedman KC and Victor Kattan in NLJ this week
New planning fee rises, wider trade union access rights and a service-by-email trap feature in Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way
Existing defamation law can respond to AI ‘hallucinations’, but allocating responsibility will prove harder where outputs reach users without human intervention
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