Law and Disorder

PUPILLAGE DAYS REDISCOVERED

An appreciation by Elizabeth Robson Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers and Phillip Taylor MBE, Head of Chambers and Reviews Editor, "The Barrister"

For many of us, pupillage is probably something we prefer to forget. Mine was certainly rather different from what takes place today- the Bar Council will be relieved to hear! But, if you are contemplating pupillage, then this book from Tim Kevan is for you even though it is a rather whimsical approach to the drudgery of the training.

"It is BabyBarista's first day as a pupil barrister", says the author. "He has just one year to win, by foul means or fair, the sought-after prize of a tenancy in chambers. Competition is fierce: there's TopFirst, who has a prize-winning CV and an ego to match; BusyBody, a human whirlwind on a husband hunt; and wide-eyed Worrier, buckling under the weight of the world". And so, the mixture of characters are introduced and we all recognise them!

Kevan continues with this backdrop (no spoilers here) "armed with a copy of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", BabyBarista launches a no-holds barred fight to the death of double-dealing, dirty tricks and a healthy dose of back-stabbing". Ah! All the memories come flooding back!

As the publishers comment, this book is "part Rumpole, part Flashman". The story unfolds as BabyBarista "opens a window onto the Machiavellian and frequently absurd ways of working life". And you, too, can follow BabyBarista's adventures on The BabyBarista Blog- if you have the time, which I doubt. But that is for post-pupillage. Thank you, Tim, for an excellent read during the quieter hours of practice - in other words, hanging around at court waiting for your case to come on!

The book was published on 2nd August 2010.