Simon’s blog
Decision Time
And the Trumpet waxed exceeding loud (Exodus 19:19 - look it up): the pupil called (I digress only slightly) and Chambers responded with a voice (ditto). And, hopefully, the voice says 'it's you'. It's that time of year again. Having sweated through University, the...
More on Interviews
By popular request. Jewellery: discreet please. Wedding rings are fine - if yours looks like it really belongs on Snoopy Dawg-Dawg then it may require some adjustment. Men's signet rings are fine - half the panel will be wearing them. Masonic rings are not such a good...
Interviews
Welcome back. A combination of idleness, lack of topics, computers tumbling like ninepins (although it is tenpin bowling - does anyone have an explanation?) and work have meant a long silence. Anyhow, the OLPAS forms are in and, all over the jurisdiction, Chambers are...
Mature Entrants
The question of whether a mature entrant has an equal chance of obtaining a pupillage has been a fairly frequently asked question, so I thought I would address it in a post. Yes. That answer applies generally to the three main classes of people who ask it - those who...
Proof
I am sitting at my desk looking at a letter. The letter is from a young lady who appeared before me for sentence in January 2006. She had been dealing class A drugs. I imposed a suspended sentence with a Drug Treatment and Testing Order. That was on the lenient side...
What Type of Law Should I Do (Part V) ?
A New Year special... Media Law Is this law at all, or simply a chance to rub shoulders with the famous (acceptable) and rich (desirable)? Given that the Courts cannot make their mind up about whether there is a right not to have your photograph taken at any time when...
Wigs (Updated)
The public want us to keep them, so we probably will. I can't say I get terribly excited about this and I voted to get rid of them in civil cases, largely because I find the whole outfit so uncomfortable. I suspect that if they went, within a couple of months, no one...
Schools
I spoke to the 6th form at a school yesterday - something I regard as important, as you know, and which I wish all barristers would do. Unfortunately it isn't possible to have 6th formers in Chambers - the logistics are just too complicated and there are too many...
Collective Nouns
I thought I would try to assist so that you all know where you are when it comes to interviews. Everyone agrees that these are accurate; use them without fear. Lawyers: a bore Silks: an egotism Circuit Judges: a squabble High Court Judges: a self-satisfaction Lay...
Here Are the (Frankly Bizarre) Results of the Blog-Readers' Jury
A whole year's worth of students have now been able to vote in the polls to the left of this post. The results are statistically irrelevant (139/144 votes out of 17,000 visits and, I assume, less than 17,000 visitors) but are worth analysing anyway. On the BVC...