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Looking after number one

13 October 2017 / Jonathan Goodliffe
Issue: 7765 / Categories: Features , Profession
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In the first of two articles, Jonathan Goodliffe explains why being incredibly busy is a great way to offload stress

How can you possibly cope nowadays with the pressure of being a top fee earner? You are expected to put in seven or eight chargeable hours a day. On top of that you have to turn up for endless internal meetings. These cover boring things like know-how, Brexit, appraisals, horizon scanning, marketing, directory submissions, financial targets, daily and weekly financial regulation updates, contact and client databases, negligence claims, drinks parties for trainees, unfair dismissal claims from incompetent former staff.

So what’s the solution? You could give up lawyering altogether and retrain as a ‘posh’ plumber or artisan baker. You would then endure the sneers and contempt of or be ostracised by your former colleagues. Or you could have a breakdown, scream and shout at your secretary (if you’re still allowed to have one) or trainee, or get help with (or get on with) your drinking problem.

“ The joy of being incredibly busy is that it allows you

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
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