header-logo header-logo

Law in 101 words

01 February 2018 / Roderick Ramage
Categories: Features
printer mail-detail
nlj_7779_ramage

Snippets from The Reduced Law Dictionary, by Roderick Ramage

10 pint hero

It is inexcusable to drive with ten pints of best bitter inside you, but, that apart, this client was a hero. In those pre-breathalyser days, the police had other ways to test the intoxication of a driver, eg touching your nose with your eyes closed and walking along a straight line. He passed them all and refused to give a urine sample. So they locked him in a cell for the night, with a urinal in the corner. He survived the night without passing a drop of his ten pints, so they let him free the following morning. He deserved it.

Case management

The most important lesson that I received about the practice of law was given by my uncle, Roderick Davies of Manchester, on my first day as an articled clerk in 1962. Another articled clerk, a supercilious type, described him as ‘as thick as two short planks’, overlooking the fact that he invariably came to the right answer and rarely lost

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Ceri Morgan, knowledge counsel at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, analyses the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd, which reshapes the law of fiduciary relationships and common law bribery
The boundaries of media access in family law are scrutinised by Nicholas Dobson in NLJ this week
Reflecting on personal experience, Professor Graham Zellick KC, Senior Master of the Bench and former Reader of the Middle Temple, questions the unchecked power of parliamentary privilege
Geoff Dover, managing director at Heirloom Fair Legal, sets out a blueprint for ethical litigation funding in the wake of high-profile law firm collapses
James Grice, head of innovation and AI at Lawfront, explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the legal sector
back-to-top-scroll