Due to certain ill-judged emails, the odd accounting irregularity and ultimately doomed bids for anonymity, Obiter has spent rather too much time at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal recently. On the basis that most readers will be happily unfamiliar with the place, we present Obiter’s rough guide:

1. You will never find the tribunal offices on your first attempt. Situated off-road between an Evans Cycles and a Leon restaurant near Ludgate Circus (pictured), there are no signs to the building. Arriving late on your first visit is a rite of passage.

2. It may be a quasi-judicial setting, but this building is as nondescript as they come. On average, the receptionist is forced to answer: ‘No, this really is the SDT’ 26 times a day.

3. On that note, it’s a pretty sad setting for a legal career to be brought to an end. The rooms are featureless, the decisions delivered much like a bank manager telling you that your loan application has been denied. The setting is definitely more Wernham Hogg (of  The Office fame) than Old Bailey.

4. Take supplies. That water machine and the good-natured staff making tea will only go so far.

5. A warning for any journalists: the Independent Press Standards Organisation is just one floor down. Get your story wrong and this might not be the last time you deal with this building. 

Oh, and if you win the case, El Vino on New Bridge Street has a selection of quaffable fizzy wines. If you lose, the cheapest pint within walking distance is at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street.  Cheers.

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