Standing up for the Profession This year’s Law Society Dinner and Dance saw some good talent-spotting and great talent emerging from amongst the profession and their family members that would give `Singapore Idol’ a run for its money. For the second year running, members were allowed to bring their partners and spouses and what a good idea that was, as it saw great entertainment value provided by Mrs Cynthia Yim, wife of member, Mr Jimmy Yim SC, belting out two ballets to an awestruck appreciative audience. Instead of The Fabulous Baker Boys, the no less Fabulous Barker Girls, Deborah Barker SC, and Carla Barker, crooned their way into the hearts of the over 300 members and guests present. Encore, encore!

 

Showing One’s True Colours The mushy remains of a tomato thrown at a prominent member of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats has posed a legal dilemma for authorities trying to assess how to punish the thrower. Police investigating the fruit, thrown by an unemployed protestor at the premier of the state of Brandenburg, have concluded it was a yellow tomato. Had it been a soft red one, the man would have faced a lesser charge of causing malicious damage. A harder, green tomato could carry the tougher charge of bodily harm. A yellow one is somewhere in between. As such, no decision on the charge has yet been reached.

 

Will on its Way Out The UK government’s first move to open the legal market will begin in November this year when non-lawyers are allowed to provide all probate services. There has been confirmation that a statutory instrument should be laid before the UK Parliament for approval this month to activate sections of its Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 which extend the right to undertake probate work for profit to the likes of banks, building societies and insurance companies. Currently, only solicitors, barristers and notaries public can prepare, for reward, papers for grant of probate or letters of administration.  Richard Grosberg, former chairman of the Law Society of England and Wales’ probate section, said solicitors have no problem with competition if all providers are similarly regulated. But he said there were grave doubts as to whether the government has the power in legislation to regulate non-lawyer providers beyond the grant of representation. Failure to do so ‘would have an adverse impact on consumer protection’, he said.

 

Getting a Raw Deal Managers at a restaurant in east London’s Docklands have asked customers to complete a legal disclaimer if they wanted rare or medium-rare meat. The chef on duty also had to sign the paper which waived the restaurant’s liability for food-poisoning. Customers were urged to have their burgers cooked ‘medium or above’ instead to reduce the risk. The Chairman of the Restaurant Association has, however, laughed off the practice saying ‘You’ve got to have a bit of common sense somewhere in life and if a customer wants to order raw meat they have to accept some responsibility for the risk they are taking.