Brief and to the point
Only a practised advocate would normally have the confidence to stand up and talk at length in front of a few judges. So, the lawyer who took it upon himself to rattle on during question time at a celebratory get-together for the mediation pilot at the Mayor's and City of London Court last week must have been made of pretty stern stuff. Right at the start of the evening, Judge William Birtles had stood up and told everyone that one problem he has always had is having to tell counsel to tell him what they want. 'Instead, they often say "good morning" and then drone on for ten minutes,'

he explained, 'until eventually even my patience cracks.' The rest of the assembled judges, including Lord Neuberger, chuckled to themselves in recognition. It must have been with breathtaking bravery then that one young man asked the first question of the Q&A session - one that went on seemingly forever, only eventually venturing towards actually being a question. The answer was brevity encapsulated. 'Perhaps,' said the chairman, 'I should have said: "Are there any short questions?"'