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Archive for December, 2011

Weekend video: ‘Rumpole: Law vs Justice’

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December 31, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
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Age of austerity

Despite the fact that it is supposed to be the Christmas holidays, chambers was absolutely packed today. Maybe it’s worries about recession or maybe they’re simply a bunch of workaholics who don’t know what to do when spare time presents itself. Whatever it is, it meant that chambers tea was as full as a mid-week [...]

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December 29, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
Tags: Article, BabyBarista, Blogposts, Law, The BabyBarista blog Â· Posted in: Uncategorized

Book recommendation: ‘Wig Begone’ by Charles Courtley

Wig Begone is an exhilarating tale of Charles’ early career with disaster often lurking round the corner and culminating in his own appearance in front of England’s most notorious judge! Available from Amazon.co.uk Share this article:

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December 28, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
Posted in: books

Announcing the winners of the BabyBarista Christmas competition!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Christmas competition and helped to publicise my two BabyBarista novels Law and Peace and Law and Disorder. I’m really grateful to everyone who helped and it wasn’t easy deciding a winner. However, in my completely unjudicial and utterly subjective discretion, I have decided the following which as you’ll see reflects to my delight the [...]

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December 24, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
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Weekend video: ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

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December 24, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
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Justice for sale

OldSmoothie was looking particularly smug today, even for him. “Yes, I’ve just got £10,000 on the brief for tomorrow’s one day trial,” he mentioned at least twice just when I was within hearing. “Why on earth would someone pay that much when they could get the junior tenant I shadowed today for £350?” asked a [...]

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December 22, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
Tags: Article, BabyBarista, Blogposts, Law, The BabyBarista blog Â· Posted in: Uncategorized

Sponsored blog post: The ICLR Online tips the scales of justice in your favour

TheBusker was giving the pupils a little chat about law reports today. “The scales of justice are often evenly balanced and it is therefore sometimes the smallest things which can tip the balance,” he said. “Though not small like you,” TheVamp said to TheCreep as she patted him on the head. “He means helpful small [...]

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December 21, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
Posted in: ICLR, Sponsored

Book recommendation: ‘The Litigators’ by John Grisham

‘Grisham is brilliantly comic in a novel that is full of zest and brimming with memorable characters and rich storylines… The legal storylines are typically rich in social detail and instances of entertaining rascality… Away from his usual southern turf, Grisham is turned by Chicago into a more Dickensian writer, soft-hearted at times but predominantly [...]

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December 21, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
Posted in: books

Don’t miss ‘The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff’ on BBC iPlayer! @iammarkevans

I watched The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff on BBC2 last night and couldn’t recommend it more highly. It’s got an incredible cast which includes Stephen Fry, Robert Webb, David Mitchell, Celia Imrie, Johnny Vegas…the list goes on. It’s also written by the brilliant Mark Evans who has already written four series of Bleak Expectations for Radio 4 (and [...]

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December 20, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
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Monday morning with Alex Williams’ cartoons, 19th December 2011

This cartoon is by Alex Williams who draws the Queen’s Counsel cartoons for The Times and in numerous books including Lawyers Uncovered. He also does the cartoons for BabyBarista and has had two more excellent books published recently: 101 Ways to Leave the Law and 101 Uses for a Useless Banker. He offers almost all of [...]

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December 19, 2011 · babybarista · Comments Closed
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• Law and Peace

  
• Law and Peace is the second novel in The BabyBarista Files and was published in 2011. It is the sequel to Law and Disorder which was described by broadcaster Jeremy Vine as "a wonderful, racing read - well-drawn, smartly plotted and laugh out loud" and by The Times as "a cross between The Talented Mr Ripley, Rumpole and Bridget Jones’s Diary". The books are based upon this blog which appeared on The Times for three years and now appears on The Guardian and which was described by The Lawyer as "genius". The books are available on amazon. You can also listen to 'Law and Disorder' read by Tim Kevan at www.audible.co.uk.

• THE MAIN CHARACTERS

• PanicStricken

  
  

  A new character who's desperate for a training contract but has just been demoted from minimum wage legal assistant to unpaid intern
• 

• OldSmoothie

  
• Think Peter Bowles in To The Manor Born and Milk Tray Man, but not quite. Once successful barrister now put out to graze as a committee man.
• 
  Follow BabyBarista's adventures with the ICLR

• TheCreep

  
• Jumped up little twerp who sucks up to the big beasts in chambers and struts around as if he's really something when actually he's not.

• SlipperySlope

  
  

  Solicitor skilled in the art of creative billing. Has the airs and graces of a country squire but is more a cross between Arthur Daley and Boycie from 'Only Fools and Horses'.

• Smutton

  
  

  Brassy to UpTights’s classy and yet still, somehow, sexy.

• NurserySlope

  
  

  Solicitor who is SlipperySlope's neice. Skis, rides and looks like a horse.

• JetSet

  
  

  A new solicitor character who's got a training contract and lords it over PanicStricken. She's wealthy, well- connected and spends most weekends either skiing or clubbing abroad.

• ScandalMonger

  
• Ruthless PR guru who has become one of BabyB's secret litigation weapons
• 
  

• BigMouth

  
• Pompous Tory MP stuck on the backbenches like a piece of old chewing gum
• 

• BusyBody

  
• A whirlwind of interference with a good heart and always up for a fight, particularly with OldSmoothie.

• TopFirst

  
• BabyB’s sworn enemy and former fellow pupil

• BabyBarista

  
• A young Flashman meets Rumpole meets Francis Urquart for the 21st century

• OldFatherTime

  
• A whisper on the wind, Highlander-type figure who is older than time itself

• TheVamp

  
• Tenant in chambers and a walking Carry On film of an innuendo

• OldRuin

  
• How a barrister should be. Dumbledore meets Clarence, the angel in Its a Wonderful Life. BabyB’s redemption.

• TheBusker

  
• Barrister of ten years call with the integrity and decency of OldRuin. Very laid back in his approach to both court and life. Admired by BabyB.

• TheBoss

  
• BabyB’s ex-pupilmaster. Unscrupulous, spineless coward.

• HeadClerk

  
• The real power in chambers. All seeing, all knowing.

• PupilFodder

  
• Learner Barrister foisted upon his unsuspecting client who gets shredded in court

• UpTights

  
• BabyB’s pupilmistress for his second six months who was almost called BoTucks for the work she’s had done. Insists on boundaries and personal space. Has ‘issues’.

• JudgeJewellery

  
• Judge with penchant for stealing high street trinkets