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Book review: A short book of bad judges

23 May 2014 / James Wilson
Issue: 7607 / Categories: Features
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"Darling’s chief crime was what Bacon called a lack of gravity; for more modern readers he seems to have been something of a David Brent"

Author: Graeme Williams QC
Publisher: Wildy, Simmonds & Hill
ISBN: 9780854901418
Price: £9.99

In R v Sussex Justices; ex parte McCarthy [1924] 1 KB 256, 259, Lord Hewart LCJ famously said: “It is not merely of some importance but is of fundamental importance, that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.”

Best baddies?

The aphorism found its way into the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations . Ironically, while it might be one of the greatest legal quotes of the 20th century, it was made by one of the very worst judges. In 1985, Lord Devlin wrote ( Easing the Passing: the Trial of Dr John Bodkin Adams ): “Hewart…has been called the worst Chief Justice since Scroggs and Jeffries in the 17th century. I do not think that this is quite fair. When one considers the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

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Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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