Bon Vivant

John Maher recommends the wines from Valencia.   

They make a perfect accompaniment to every dish, he enthuses. 

An enthusiastic return to the Temple and to Chambers as the summer fades away and autumn begins to fall 

October 10, 2011: “The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief.” ~William Shakespeare, Othello

A sortie into the outside world leads to questions about how to adapt to modern times 

September 10, 2011:  “Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get”
- George Bernard Shaw.

The life of a barrister can be self-absorbing. From the Temple we venture out to all points of the compass, meeting people from walks of life we would rarely, if ever, encounter in real life.

A seasoned troupe of actors performed two radio plays, Rumpole on Trial and Rumpole and the Right to Privacy, for this year’s Kalisher Scholarship fundraising event, writes Melissa Coutinho.  

Sunday, 15 May 2011 was a beautiful balmy evening that saw Middle Temple host what has become an annual Kalisher Scholarship fundraising event. We were entertained by a seasoned troupe of actors, some of whom had generously given their time at previous events: Martin Shaw, Maggie Steed, Philip Franks, Patricia Hodge, Anthony Howell, Maxine Peake (fresh from Silk), Duncan Bell, Daniel Hill, Tim Frances, Nicholas Le Prevost and Mark Farrelly. 

Summertime - and the living is no longer quite so easy in the Temple during August.

August 3, 2011: “In summer, the song sings itself.” -William Carlos Williams.


Publicly funded barristers nowadays work all the year round. When I was a nipper at the Bar, it was simply not done for a Silk to be seen in the precincts of the Temple during August. Today, there is the appearance of a holiday season – my club closes, there are no more meals in the Inns of Court and the like; but, in reality, professional life carries on.

R v Grimble is not what it seems and phone hacking strikes close to home

July 11, 2011: “When you want to fool the world, tell the truth.” -Otto von Bismarck.

My belief that Jason Grimble, the vapid youth I was defending for the alleged murder of Claude Allerick, the late and loathed circuit judge and former member of Gutteridge Chambers, had been tempted into crime by kinky leanings on the part of the victim, causing him to entice Grimble and another street boy into his flat late on a Christmas Eve for who knows what fun and games, proved to be wide of the mark.  

The arduous process of giving a modern reference compares poorly with “days gone by”

June 14, 2011: Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction - Aristotle

Chambers is the professional embodiment of the truism about waiting hours for the arrival of a bus only to have three arrive together. Weeks pass for senior silks with much thumb twiddling, writing of letters and leisurely walks around the Temple. Solicitors are busily taking instructions in cases whose future appearance is but a small dark cloud on the horizon and no case management crises are looming.

A look at the distillation process of whisky and how to enjoy the perfect dram at the end of a long day in chambers.  

After a long and arduous working day we all appreciate some “self” time in which to relax, unwind and contemplate. Having a dram of a good single malt whisky must surely be one of the finer accompaniments to these moments. However, if the ‘wee dram’ is consumed too quickly and is not savoured, the full benefit of what we have in the glass will be missed. 

The frustrations of being counsel for the defence  mount up as the case of R v Jason Grimble rumbles on...

May 9, 2010: When the wine goes in, strange things come out - Schiller

In days gone by, losing a client was an occupational hazard, borne with anger or relief for a few seconds and then forgotten as a fresh case appeared, as if by magic.

The inaugural Bar Debate took place on 7 April 2011 in Court 1 of the Old Bailey. Counsel’s David Wurtzel was there
  

The debating chamber 

Court 1 of the Old Bailey has seen its share of sentencing in its time.  This has included the need for the judge to don the black cap, which at least one panellist on 7 April looked forward to seeing again.  It was thus a suitable if well behaved venue for the first Bar Debate:  “Bang ‘em up Britain:  are we taking a rational approach to sentencing?”