Not a lot of law about to comment on and, if there is, it can wait until the new year.
Sitting at my desk looking at the back of a packet of Marlboro. The picture on the back is a festive one of a dead body lying on a slab in a morgue – a tasteful, atmospheric headshot. Still…on the bright side…smokers pay a lot in tax and some die younger, reducing the costs burden to our increasingly dystopian state? A felicific calculus Bentham would be proud of. Our present Lord Chancellor may not be aware of the great legal writers of jurisprudence. I am almost tempted to send him a copy of ‘Law Made Simple’ – although I would not wish to encourage him; he might try to push such heresy through and where would we be then?
Mr Bentham’s remains in a case at The University of London
On a more festive note…. I see that The College of Law, now a university after a ‘Whovian’ transmogrification into a University – has managed to lose the contract to teach GDL and LPC students for Allen & Overy (See below also). Working on the reasonable principle that the University of Law would be unlikely to comment on this matter – I went to a reliable source – RollonFriday – to see if there was any ‘gen’ on why the University of Law lost the Allen & Overy contract.
Mr or Ms Anonymous User commented pithily: “Single-subject “university” that has been cutting and cutting on a knee-jerk basis now finds itself unable to compete. There’s no story here save for the years of business inadequacy not of it course but of its management.”
Another Mr or Ms Anonymous was able to shed further light on this matter with precision and astute observation…“Yeah: just the result of the previous management hacking through the staff, no business acumen any of them, therefore not surprising they cannot teach it.”
Well..there we are. Perhaps the University of Law needs assistance from my brother, Professor R.D. Charon? I know he is free and I know he will be able to trot out the usual education ‘evidence based’ guff. He also takes Amex.
Professor R.D. Charon was not available for comment – but his PR agent was able to respond to my email ” I am fairly confident that the vulture capitalists who now own the University of Law will do Britain proud. Please settle the fee for this comment in the usual way by return cash.”
The University of Law has recorded a net profit of over £14m in its latest financial results, just a year after being purchased by private equity house Montagu Private Equity for £177m. Source: Legal Business
Curiously, apropos the loss by The University of Law (UoL) of the Allen & Overy students to BPP which I noted above – “The UoL turned to longstanding adviser Allen & Overy (A&O) for legal advice during the sale, led by global corporate chair Richard Cranfield.”
You may like to read this incisive article from Professor Richard Moorhead in Legal Business. A good read: Guest Post: Legal education review – why everyone is happy and no one is smiling
Given that it is still the festive season – this snippet from The Magistrates’ Blog amused me – on the ways of those who buy wine for investment. ‘Bottoms up’… seems, inappropriate, however. I did enjoy a comment on this blogpost by Anonymous – who is, clearly, a very busy person, popping up on blogs all over the place – “I’ve never understood why we have concurrent sentences for consecutive crimes.”
Bitcher & Prickman cartoons are always worth a look – from US lawyer Charles Fincher Esq
2015 is coming soon and the current government will have to see what can be done with the electorate. I am not a spin doctor, but given the increasing rise of the Kippers, David Cameron may like to reach out to some of them and the Storm Trooper Wing of his own party?
This may inspire the Tory Grandees?: Springtime for Hitler for their version of The Producers ?
And…a curious story about Ian Duncan-Smith being less than open in recent years. The BBC covered it in 2002: Newsnight reveals inaccuracies in Iain Duncan Smith’s CV
Back soon… and something rather more law based and sensible when the lawyers get back to work.
Charon QC 