header-logo header-logo

Ten lawyers I can do without

31 July 2008 / Jennifer James
Issue: 7332 / Categories: Features
printer mail-detail

Jennifer James has little difficulty in picking out the niggling features of some bods in the legal profession

The Insider has been practising law in one guise or another for nearly 20 years, which makes me a mere infant compared with many in the profession. However, it does mean that I have been around for long enough to note certain types amongst those I have worked with or around, and within that number there are several that I would quite happily consign to oblivion. Maybe someone could patent a lawyer-compactor device along the lines of Wall-E, which could take obsolete, dysfunctional or just plain unwanted lawyers, crush them into building blocks and make something useful, such as a hat shop.

There are an almost infinite number from which to choose (hey, I don't get on with anybody!). Many of these can be summarised in a single line, for example: 10. You went to a state school, I take it?; 9. I don't think the law is a suitable career for a woman; 8.

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

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
Is a suspect’s state of mind a ‘fact’ capable of triggering adverse inferences? Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Smith of Corker Binning examines how R v Leslie reshapes the debate
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
back-to-top-scroll