Muttley Dastardly LLP: Christmas Party/Legal Issues…

Memo to all Members of the firm from Matt Muttley
Following guidelines issued recently by the Advisory Consiliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), as reported in The Evening Standard yesterday, it appears that this firm owes a ‘duty of care’ to our staff and could face legal action if employees don’t get home safely after the Christmas [...]

Pupilblog…

If any of you are contemplating a career at the Bar… try Pupilblog
Interesting and amusing… a new blog, but it looks good, providing an insight into the early days at the Bar!

Good grief… a mention in Dispatches…

I am pleased to have a brief mention in the latest Blawg Review 85 - this week by an Aussie and delighted that he picked up on Ashley’s Ashes
A most interesting Blawg Review…. followed a few of the links up - there is a wealth of useful information out there…
England will bounce back…hopefully?…possibly…. maybe? Cry [...]

Addicted….to caption competitions…

Not only am I becoming addicted to liver and mash (Infra) - I appear to be fascinated by Caption competitions. So here is another one. I have started the ball rolling, rather predictably - so, again, the winner will get a prize of a set of lectures.
Thanks to all for taking part - [...]

Humbug…

 
While Christmas is not really my thing - after an all nighter on Christmas Eve last -  mercifully, I was able to miss most of the day.  I thought I would turn on the lights on my blawg as I do not appear to have that many (any) invitations to perform this ceremony elsewhere.

Caption competition…

Have a go at the caption competition…and win a set of 20 recored one hour lectures in a subject of your choice if your caption wins from: Contract, Criminal, Constitutional, Tort, Land Law, Equity and EU Law.
Scroll up for the latest papal caption competition….

Freedom of speech…

The Guardian reports today that The Metropolitan Police are lobbying the A-G for wider powers to “arrest protesters for causing offence through the words they chant and the slogans on their placards and even headbands.”
This rather sums it up… and I quote from the Guardian report: “A solicitor who has defended protesters, Mike Schwarz, said: [...]

Muttley Dastardly LLP - “Religious symbols: Wearing of policy”

Memo to all Staff from Matt Muttley, Managing Partner
It came to my notice the other day, when I made a rare appearance in the open plan work area, that quite a few associates and administrative staff have taken to wearing burqas, skull caps, silver crosses, orange turbans, white druidic robes and various other symbols of [...]

A cunning plan…

Last night I dined with friends and it was suggested to me, by a recently retired partner at Slaughter & May who I play chess with fairly regularly, that England are merely lulling the Aussies into a false sense of security by their almost comical display of beach cricket at The Gabba. I [...]

Caption competition…

Mildly depressed (Cricket!)…I have decided to amuse myself by having a caption competition.
I’m afraid, for practitioners, there are no prizes… just a signed picture of me which I will email to you in the best WebCameron style… - anyway, you are earning good money, hopefully. But if a law student comes up with the [...]

Stumped?……

No… I won’t be discussing the cricket. 53-3 battling against a 602-8 (Declared) Aussie total is not something even New Labour could spin a good story about. As I lay in my staterooms watching the cricket from my futon, I was reminded of my childhood when children hid behind the sofa waiting for [...]

I now know exactly where I work….

I am pleased to be able to tell you that I live at the following longitude / latitude co-ordinates: 51.49653421421105, -0.27088165283203125
I am able to tell you because of this gizmo on the web… Use the scroll bars on the left to find out where you live/work. It is pleasing to know that American B-52 bomber [...]

Now…this is worth reading…

Nick Holmes of Binary law has a fascinating piece about Microsoft licences and their right to determine, unilaterally, that you have broken your contract and disable parts of your computer remotely…
Here it is.

The Ashes…. let the ceremony begin

And so… it has begun… an epic between giants of the game.
I have quoted this before… but it is worth quoting again (and, it brings in a little bit of law - at least.)
“In summertime village cricket is the delight of everyone. Nearly every village has its own cricket field where the young men [...]

European Court fails drinkers and smokers…

Retailers have expressed relief at a European Court ruling against allowing consumers to buy drinks and cigarettes online at lower duties from abroad. BBC
Unfortunately….Europe has again turned away from the needs of drinkers and smokers who wished to buy cheaper Polish and Latvian booze and fags.  A victory for common sense chmed one worthy frm [...]

Miscellany….

Grateful to Codebreaker, a regular contributor to the blawg and inspiration for a number of posts, for sending me this road sign picture in.
All day drinking
According to The Telegraph (20 November)
“The relaxation of Britain’s drinking laws has failed to trigger the surge in alcohol-fuelled violence and round-the-clock drunkenness that many predicted, police said [...]

Saturday thoughts…

The theme to start this Saturday is ‘The art of being thick.’ The Americans have a good word for it - ‘Dumbass’.
Sheffield United manager, Neil Warnock, claimed this week that some footballers are thick (The Independent)
I quote: “Two of my players have been in the news this week for the wrong reasons. Alan Quinn was [...]

A tale of modern times……

Having spent a bit of time over lunch writing about vaguely serious matters - I found this on the net and thought you might enjoy it, if you have not seen it before.

A SQUIRRELS TALE
REST OF THE WORLD VERSION:
The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house [...]

LPC providers warn revisions could create two tier profession!

Legal Week has a most interesting article on the LPC. It is a must read if you are a student thinking about doing the LPC or are interested in legal education. Here is the link
Briefly: there is to be a review of the LPC. I quote a part of the article: The [...]

PC DCA style….

I was on Bystander JP’s excellent Magistrate’s Blog whiling away a few moments when I read that the DCA has issued guidelines about ‘acceptable’ language.  Apparently, the following terms are NOT acceptable:
 ”Old, middle-aged, young, girl, young lady, boy, lad, young man, part-timer, the disabled, the blind, the deaf, black mark, black sheep, black list, black [...]