Some 20 years ago, during my pupillage days, as the clock struck 4pm, every day we were required to stop whatever we were doing and round up members of chambers to serve tea in the library. We stood like centurion guards along the back wall and while serving tea we were not required to speak unless spoken to and any response we gave had to be considered, erudite and massage the ego of the person asking. The competition among pupils was high and the need to stand out and impress was even higher. Our position within the pecking order was reinforced and made perfectly clear—we were firmly at the bottom, and those in senior positions, who were feted, lionised and seemingly untouchable, held our legal careers in their hands, holding dream tickets to tenancy, employment references and valuable contacts.
The idea that all those years ago, a pupil or indeed
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