header-logo header-logo

14 August 2013 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 7573 / Categories: Features
printer mail-detail

Making mischief

istock_000000082557small

Dominic Regan is in the mood for some end-of-term high-jinx

Ennui. Boredom. Call it what you will but we have reached that time in the year when a bit of mischief is justified. Here are a few tried and tested antics.

  1. Flag down a taxi and ask the driver for the right time.
  2. Go into a shop, select an item and then tell the assistant you have unilaterally decided to reduce the price by 30%. For some inexplicable reason this is known as “doing a Grayling”.
  3. If ever you suspect you have been overcharged by a supplier wait five years and then, rather than asking for a refund, announce that you are going to launch a public enquiry. This too is known as “doing a Grayling”. It is beyond me.
  4. Ring the clerk to the barrister you most despise and ask if counsel is free to do a week before the Supreme Court or a three month trial in the Bahamas. Leave it there.
  5. People walking and texting simultaneously drive me mad, particularly when crossing
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

Charles Russell Speechlys—James Paterson

Charles Russell Speechlys—James Paterson

Charles Russell Speechlys further bolsters Private Equity expertise with the appointment of James Paterson

Ellisons—Samuel Flower

Ellisons—Samuel Flower

Ellisons strengthens Rural Affairs team with senior appointment

Sidley—Carl Hotton

Sidley—Carl Hotton

Sidley adds insurance mergers and acquisitions partner to London office

NEWS
A deputy costs judge correctly exercised his discretion to allow late service rather than strike out the point of dispute, the Court of Appeal has held
Prince Harry, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and five others have lost their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, in Various Claimants v Associated Newspapers [2026] EWHC 1637 (KB)
Public confidence in the justice system is being undermined by a lack of accessible, useable data, magistrates have warned
The Sentencing Council has launched draft guidelines for facilitation and endangering another person during a sea crossing to the UK
Government proposals to make independent written legal advice a prerequisite for workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) may prove unworkable, according to a senior employment lawyer
back-to-top-scroll