Ten lawyers I can do without

The Insider has been practising law in one guise or another for nearly 20 years, which makes me a mere infant compared with many in the profession. However, it does mean that I have been around for long enough to note certain types amongst those I have worked with or around, and within that number there are several that I would quite happily consign to oblivion. Maybe someone could patent a lawyer-compactor device along the lines of Wall-E, which could take obsolete, dysfunctional or just plain unwanted lawyers, crush them into building blocks and make something useful, such as a hat shop.

There are an almost infinite number from which to choose (hey, I don't get on with anybody!). Many of these can be summarised in a single line, for example: 10. You went to a state school, I take it?; 9. I don't think the law is a suitable career for a woman; 8.