header-logo header-logo

Archive: Civil way: 27 January 2023

27 January 2023 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 8010 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way
printer mail-detail
In 1975, Stephen Gold encounters the curious case of the cheap bottle of Château Lafite, the slowest way to send a fax, and a solicitor with a computer

Not a bad year for legislation was 1975. Emitting a pleasant bouquet and best read with fish or a cheese sandwich, the Sex Discrimination Act, the Employment Protection Act, the Mobile Homes Act and the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act (the latter destined to lead most legal secretaries and some senior solicitor partners into an enduring misspelling of ‘Dependants’) were among the entrants to the statute book.

And it was a good year for NLJ columnist Bill Degenhardt, who wrote of his visit to Harvey’s Restaurant in Bristol where he secured a bottle of 1858 Château Lafite for £20. Christie’s had sold one for £350 just days earlier. He recounted that the ‘restaurant manager’, a highly efficient Italian man named Codei, had overheard his wine talk at the table as the meal was being finished and mentioned he could supply

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

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
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
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
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll