A wander ‘abite’ the legal and political web with a glass of decent claret

I have dreams… we all do…and some as surreal as this rather fine print which I found on the net: ‘The Barrister’s Dream’ by Henry Holiday. With little enthusiasm for television or much else tonight after a frustrating day dealing with the admin of life and people not doing what they promised to do, I [...]

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Law Review: Responsible reporting – Open justice and the need for restraint – MPs want to ban naming of suspects

The UKSC blog addresses the issue of responsible reporting which I commented on the other day.  It is a cause for concern. The UKSC Blog: Coverage of Yemshaw judgment raises questions of responsible legal reporting MPs want to ban the naming of suspects to avoid media feeding frenzies The Guardian: Bad press behaviour leads inevitably [...]

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Muttley Dastardly LLP (Episode 14): Operation Pharaoh – Positioning for the new Egypt

TOP SECRET / PARTNERS ONLY BRIEFING PAPER From: Dr Erasmus Strangelove, Partner, Director of Education, Strategy and Psyops RE: OPERATION PHARAOH – POSITIONING LEGAL SERVICES IN THE NEW EGYPT 1.  In the wake of events unfolding in Egypt in the last week, from intelligence received from the many, varied and newly minted Egyptologists now broadcasting [...]

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Breaking News: British prime minister refines foreign policy approach to Egypt

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Laziness, ignorance of the law, manipulation for political purpose or intellectual deficiency? – Modern law reporting …

I wonder sometimes whether it is laziness, ignorance of the law, manipulation of information for a political purpose or intellectual deficiency, or perhaps a combination of the four, which leads to poor reporting of law in the media. The King’s Speech is said to be a remarkable film.  That it contains several historical inaccuracies – [...]

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Postcard From The Staterooms: Judicial edition!

Regular readers will know that I try to write once a week from The Staterooms… a more relaxed review of the week than the more clinical Law Reviews I trot out during the working week. While Twitter was ablaze with newly minted  Egyptian experts last night… and even this morning at 5.30 am when I [...]

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Rive Gauche: Legal Ombudsman – ‘Unaccountable and unelected judges’ – Cancel passports – Rollonfriday takes pop at CofL

It sometimes takes me by surprise how quickly Fridays come round – so time for another look from left field from Rive Gauche.   Ombudsman refers complaint to CCRC over fear that poor work led to wrongful conviction This, from Legal Futures, did interest me… “The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) has passed a complaint to the [...]

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Muttley Dastardly LLP (13): MD are hiring and Dr Strangelove is in the chair – The Trainee Contract Interview

Muttley Dastardly LLP interview once each year for eight trainees.  One will make the cut. Retention rates published in the legal press are of no concern to the firm’s enigmatic Director of Education, Training, Strategy and Psyops – Dr Erasmus Strangelove LLB, JD, BCL, MBA,  Ph.D, Barrister Dr Strangelove took his seat in The Partner’s [...]

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Law Review: #Metgate – ‘Ello, ‘ello, ‘ello….what we have we got here then…… a SIM pin?

#Metgate (or the phone ‘hacking’) scandal continues with Gordon Brown complaining, as some tweeter suggested the other day,  that his phone may NOT have been hacked.  The Telegraph reports today that ‘someone’ may still be at it…….Tessa Jowell alerts police to fresh attempt to hack her mobile phone voicemail last week David Allen Green, on [...]

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Rogering in Chambers and the naming and shaming of lawyers……

While there is no provision, as yet, for continuing personal development (CPD) points to cover the activity  pictured left, it is good to see the legal profession attracting this type of publicity in The Secret Diary of a Call Girl…soon to be on our screens.  The Sun, inevitably, carried the story with the caption…”Billie Piper [...]

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Charon goes to a restaurant run by East European border guards?

I wrote this ‘restaurant review’ pastiche three years ago and remembered it while I  was tweeting about bloggers being sued for doing dodgy reviews with @BillfromBendigo in the wake of Duncan Bannatyne’s complaints about one of his hotels getting a poor review ( which I wrote about yesterday). I thought I’d dig it out again…. [...]

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Home Secretary announces new TPIM control orders!

In a re-branding of the Control Order regime (They are, according to reports on Twitter, to be called TPIMs  – Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures) – it was amusing to note that much of the response on Twitter seemed to be about Theresa May’s jacket.  (I quite like it, as it happens – a bit [...]

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The Law as seen by Charon from a very large glass of Rioja this Burn’s night…..

With a bit of time on my hands tonight, and in the mood to wander about the net looking at law blogs and the legal press, I thought I would bring you a few interesting stories I found…. Warming the bench for solicitors – from the Law Society Gazette: Frances Kirkham, a senior circuit judge [...]

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Lord Taylor of Warwick guilty

The BBC reports: Ex-Tory peer Lord Taylor of Warwick has been found guilty of making £11,277 in false parliamentary expenses claims. The 58-year-old peer claimed travel costs between his Oxford home and Westminster, as well as subsistence for staying in London. He claimed he had made the false claims “in lieu of a salary”, and [...]

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Law Review: Duncan Bannatyne goes to war against Tripadvisor?

No one could accuse Duncan Bannatyne on Burn’s Night (or, indeed, any other night) of being a ‘wee sleekit cowrin tim’rous beastie’… in his business dealings, although some may take the view that he can be a beastie on Twitter: here and here. Bannatyne, or Duncan Genocide as Harry & Paul parody him on Dragon’s [...]

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Law Review: College of Law to offer two year law degree

College of Law to offer two-year undergraduate law degree Interestingly, both BPP Law School and The College of Law are now going head to head with leading Russell Group universities by providing law degrees.  The College of Law LLB degree will run initially in the College’s London, Birmingham and Chester offices from September 2012.  The [...]

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Par Avion from The Staterooms: Twitteratigate and other absurd *Twuffoonery*

I really could not give a damn about twitter rankings and all the self aggrandising puffery which goes with social meedja. Brian Inkster has a very thorough piece on the twitter nonsense which I have commented on myself only recently.  Brian Inkster’s very thorough review of this nonsense and twuffoonery is worth a read. And… [...]

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Lord Shagger calls on Lords to be responsible from his Monaco tax haven

Bizarre… but this is what The Sunday Mirror is reporting tonight…. these politicians….they lead unusual lives….. Coulson gone….Johnson gone….. Police investigation into what close protection means…. TB at Chilcot….. what next? Lord Strathclyde’s affair with single mum Read? One can always rely on twitter to bring a sense of objectivity and proportion….  

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# Phonegateschmonegate #Metgate etc etc etc – Coulson a goner!

An interesting news day with Blair at Chilcot and Andy Coulson a goner. The ravening horde are now asking… Why Oh Why did David Cameron appoint him in the first place? ..question of judgement….blah…blah….. David Allen Green….. (aka JackofKent) may have a SCOOP! What did Dominic Mohan say in 2002? Dominic Mohan is now editor [...]

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Law Review: Coulson resignation – Regulatory Ambush – Client Care (but not how we know it) – Have lawyers escaped culpability for credit-crunch et al…?

It’s client care, but not as we know it – do law firms need professional account managers? Tim Bratton is general counsel of the Financial Times and blogs at thelegalbratblawg. Click here to follow Tim on Twitter An interesting article by Tim published by Legal Week:  Read Warning over ‘regulatory ambush’ The regulators and the regulator [...]

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