header-logo header-logo

Judging the judges

07 October 2016 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 7717 / Categories: Features , Profession
printer mail-detail
nlj_7717_regan

Dominic Regan regards written judgments from the bizarre to the sublime

“Reading and writing boring judgments” was the obstacle to recreation that Lord Justice Ward identified in his entry in Who’s Who. He does himself a great injustice. So many of his decisions, the dreaded Carver v BAA plc [2008] EWCA Civ 412, [2008] 3 All ER 911 apart, read beautifully and ooze commonsense.

I spend my days reading judgments. A good one should be like a short story or even a novella. The problem(s) should be identified, the submissions summarised and then the decision given, supplying a way through the woods.

Denning delights

Anyone who has read a Denning judgment will surely recall that lovely narrative style.”Broadchalke is one of the most pleasing villages in England. Old Herbert Bundy was a farmer there. His home was at Yew Tree Farm. It went back for 300 years. His family had been there for generations. It was his only asset. But he did a very foolish thing. He mortgaged it to the bank.

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

FOIL—Bridget Tatham

FOIL—Bridget Tatham

Forum of Insurance Lawyers elects president for 2026

Gibson Dunn—Robbie Sinclair

Gibson Dunn—Robbie Sinclair

Partner joinslabour and employment practice in London

Muckle LLP—Ella Johnson

Muckle LLP—Ella Johnson

Real estate dispute resolution team welcomes newly qualified solicitor

NEWS
Solicitors are installing panic buttons and thumb print scanners due to ‘systemic and rising’ intimidation including death and arson threats from clients
Ministers’ decision to scrap plans for their Labour manifesto pledge of day one protection from unfair dismissal was entirely predictable, employment lawyers have said
Cryptocurrency is reshaping financial remedy cases, warns Robert Webster of Maguire Family Law in NLJ this week. Digital assets—concealable, volatile and hard to trace—are fuelling suspicions of hidden wealth, yet Form E still lacks a section for crypto-disclosure
NLJ columnist Stephen Gold surveys a flurry of procedural reforms in his latest 'Civil way' column
Paper cyber-incident plans are useless once ransomware strikes, argues Jack Morris of Epiq in NLJ this week
back-to-top-scroll