I warn you: I’ve decided to publish a blog post and I’ve never been moanier! It’s been ages since I’ve blogged, but I’m not going to apologise or say I’ll try and blog more frequently now because:         It’s not true, and I couldn’t give a flying frick about blogging or my blog. Actually, I think I prefer notblogging. So it probably will be months or years before you hear from me again — if you ever do; and         Nobody reads this blog anyway. Anyway, enough of that. My beef today is the stupid little loud hailer icon next to the minimise ..read more

I was reading earlier this week about the concerns raised by French students currently studying (or trying to) at university with minimal in-person interaction. I'm sure students all over the world are saying much the same thing at the moment. And I get that facing these tribulations when you're younger can prove even more challenging and scary. But let's face it, huge swathes of employees are currently struggling with being holed-up in their spare bedrooms, hunched over a laptop trying to get work done. That's for those who are lucky enough to still have jobs. Students aren't the only ones w ..read more

Tee hee. This is a good one. Brexit deal mentions Netscape browser and Mozilla Mail - BBC News: References to decades-old computer software are included in the new Brexit agreement, including a description of Netscape Communicator and Mozilla Mail as being "modern" services. Experts believe officials must have copied and pasted chunks of text from old legislation into the document. The references are on page 921 of the trade deal, in a section on encryption technology. It also recommends using systems that are now vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The text cites "modern e-mail software package ..read more

I've come to rely on the Law Society’s professional development centre (let’s call it PDC) as part of my diet of CPD or continuing competence or whatever we’re meant to call it these days. Over the past 12 months or so I viewed webinars the Law Society offered on vertical agreements, legal privilege in 2020, cyber security and a contract law update. All were pretty good. And all were reasonably priced (not that I personally pay for it). The Professional Development Centre... gone, but not forgotten In November, the Law Society pulled the plug on their PDC service. The portal is stil ..read more

 I received the following piece of nonsense in my inbox earlier from B&Q.  Seriously? A Christmas checklist. I've annotated it accordingly! Because that's what you really need over Christmas, isn't it - a fricking toilet seat! Actually, they say 'seats' - PLURAL. What sort of digestive calamities are B&Q anticipating here?? What utter bollocks this is. Mindless consumerism at its absolute worst! (On second thoughts, that award probably goes to secret santa arrangements in workplaces up and down the land. Suffice it to say that I always opt out of that nonsense ..read more

They’ve been interesting, haven’t they? Thankfully, I wasn’t furloughed, unlike many of my colleagues, and work for me has stayed pretty buoyant throughout (apparently commercial deals are still being done, generating a need for contract negotiation and drafting — and us commercial contracts lawyers haven’t been (totally) replaced by AI just yet). 2020 was meant to be the year we finally moved house. We thought COVID had put paid to that, but when the property sector reopened with gusto in the early summer, we decided to give it a go. We’re glad we did: our house is sold (STC) and our offer to ..read more

I saw yesterday that the Guardian had compiled a list of movies that people self-isolating from the Coronavirus could watch to while away some of the time. That list was strange, very strange — to say the least of it. I’d not heard of at least half of them, and they were supposed to be ‘comfort films’. Even those that I had heard of, wouldn’t have brought any comfort to me. So instead of the utter trash that the Guardian suggested, here’s my suggested list of films. Airplane (you can't beat a spoof) Airplane II (you really can't beat a spoof) The Big Bus (spoofs are the best, y ..read more

I just can’t COPE with this Coronavirus business. It feels like the world as we know it is disappearing in front of us, and it’s far from clear whether it will ever be the same again. Schools are closed in Ireland. Tom Hanks has been bitten by the bug and is mopping his fevered brow as I type. McLaren have withdrawn from the Australian grand prix. My work meeting next week has been cancelled and replaced with a call, but I’ve already bought an advance train ticket in the GWR sale to travel to London. Bum! Do I go into the office and do the call from there, or write off the cost ..read more

Back in late 2015 I discovered the range of classic crime books that are being re-published by the British Library. Aptly titled ‘British Library Crime Classics’, these books are a mixture of whodunits and other formats of the crime genre written during what it recognised as the ‘golden era’ of crime fiction — that is, the period between the two World Wars. The books published include those written by a number of eminent authors of detective fiction, including E.C.R Lorac, John Bude, J. Jefferson Farjeon, Freeman Wills Crofts and George Bellairs. The list of BLCC titles has grown to ..read more

Featured Post Long hours, constant learning, dealing with difficult clients and often distressing cases, the prospect of loosing an entire case, the constant pressure…why would anyone choose to become a lawyer? It’s amazing that despite all this, thousands of people every year decide to take up a career in law and even more surprisingly – enjoy it! Ask any law firm – check out lilawyer.comif you’re looking for legal representation – and they’ll tell you that working as a lawyer isn’t just a job that pays the bills, it’s a vocation and a way of life. Wondering if it’s the career for y ..read more