2010 Annual Dinner

THE TARTAN ARMY

BY GEORGINA GIBBS

It is hardly customary to spend the final eve of one’s honeymoon at a work-related event, following a 24-hour journey with no sleep! But from the Kenyan plains of The Masai Mara and the tropical Seychelles island of Mahe to the South Eastern Circuit Annual Dinner nevertheless I went. And I can honestly say that I am glad that I did. The highlights of the evening were the speeches, or rather in the case of our tartan (yes again!) Leader, Stephen Leslie QC, a rhyming poem, combining both humour and wit.

We were then addressed by our guest of honour, The Honourable Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Master of The Rolls. And what an honour it was. An aptly pitched and humorous address, revealing some early memories made it a speech which did not disappoint. We discovered from Stephen Leslie QC’s introduction, that Lord Neuberger had studied science at university and was tempted back into a banking career after finding it difficult to obtain tenancy. At the Bar he remained however, seemingly breaking with family tradition, which had seen his brothers become professors, as his father had been.

Lord Neuberger initially spoke to us of his first ever case and candidly admitted that he had felt physically sick, despite spending hours preparing. In the event, he conceded he had said no more than “I do not oppose.” We learnt that he had a criminal practice early on and regaled us with an occasion when he sat as a new Recorder at Inner London Crown Court. He self-deprecatingly recounted an occasion during the trial when counsel before him suggested that counsel might direct the jury as to the meaning of ‘conditionally bound’, because they had perceived, quite rightly he said, that it was a term which did not mean anything to him. Thereafter, and before he was a High Court Judge in The Chancery Division, Lord Neuberger referred to his many happy years practising out of Falcon Chambers. One memory which stood out as being not quite so happy, however, was when he was told by one Judge Leslie that “members of the Bar did not wear a blue suit in my court,” immediately after he had just spent 2½ hours cross-examining an expert, but no reference to that was made.

Lord Neuberger told us that the Leader of the Bar, Nicholas Green QC, also a guest at the dinner, had appeared before him on several occasions and had on one occasion addressed him at length on the meaning of Article 82 of the EC Treaty. Just when Lord Neuberger informed the advocate before him that he had addressed the Bench more than sufficiently such that the meaning had already been absorbed, the confident future Leader of the Bar replied “there’s no danger of that.”

Lord Neuberger concluded his address by emphasising the relationship between judges and the Bar as being an important one, because it was so vital in achieving the smooth passage of cases. Of the advocates of the 47 different countries who appear in Strasbourg, Lord Neuberger told us that advocates from England were considered by the judges there to be the strongest, perhaps because they are not routinely given notice of the questions that a judge will ask in advance. It was interesting to hear from Lord Neuberger that regular interruption of counsel when appearing before the Court in Strasbourg, could see the judge being reported for misconduct. I dare say there are times when counsel appearing in British courts might sometimes wish that were so here…

No article about the dinner would be complete without mentioning the Junior, Adaku Oragwu’s speech. I seriously think I had better duck out of doing it next year now. Adaku was resplendent in yellow, and her speech sizzled as much as her evening dress. It was stitch-inducing hilarious and was delivered with precision tempo. The top table gave it the highest praise, which is praise indeed given the quality of those who drank at it.

As ever, Stephen Solley QC chose some excellent wines, upon our treasurer, Oscar Del Fabbro’s budgetary generosity, and we were all (or perhaps just me) unwisely mixing our red, white & port following ever-flowing bubbles on arrival. Inge Bonner, Liz Cox, Hilary and Quinton Newcomb constituted the industrious team behind Stephen, who applied himself tirelessly, as he did last year, to organising this event with Adaku. A considerable amount of hard work and meticulous planning goes into arranging the dinner each year, but is satisfying work when it is seen that so many were enjoying the evening.

So I slept very well that night, a combination of exhaustion, minor (alright, a bit more than minor) inebriation; but really because it was such an enjoyable evening. Nicholas Green QC and Keir Starmer QC might have found it more exhausting still, not only because the Leader of the Bar had to travel to Manchester immediately after his main course ahead of a Saturday morning conference, but also because they were forced to ‘talk shop’ by one yours truly. According to them, although we are all well aware that it is a time of great change at the Bar, it is not all doom and gloom. Negotiations with the government are by no means exhausted and the Home Secretary’s avowed intention to send fewer people to prison will save millions of pounds, which shows that he is taking the Bar Council’s submissions seriously.

Please do all come again to the dinner next year. It is rewarding when so many members of the Bar and judiciary come together and enjoy each other’s company despite the daily trials and tribulations, of which we know there are many. An injection of humour away from the battleground of the courtroom makes for a lively evening of different legal personalities and an immensely enjoyable night.