Judge P N Brandt’s springer spaniel slept at his master’s feet. In court in Colchester, of course. The dog was reputed to relax litigants and witnesses by its presence. Whether the judge left it to the pet to alert advocates that they were barking up the wrong tree, is unknown. All very sweet, but the practice was bound to lead to trouble. A defendant who picked up a £6,000 judgment from the judge and Barty was reported to be seeking a retrial on the ground that the dog had snored during his hearing and distracted him. I know this story to be true as I plagiarised it from one of my ‘Litigation’ columns (as they then were) in the NLJ in 1995. I also see an announcement that I had been appointed to the district bench during that year and so that also must be true.
Archive: Civil way: 24 March 2023
As Stephen Gold ends his journey through the archives at 1995, he meets a canine court user and a sweet trolley suffering from shock
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Birketts—trainee cohort
Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025
Keoghs—four appointments
Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Brabners—Ben Lamb
Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner
NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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