Obiter was intrigued by a recent study on cuts to first-class travel, which are costing the legal profession a whopping £15,500 in lost productivity per employee per year, apparently.

The survey of 1,000 business passengers – conducted, of course, by a train company – found that nearly half of law professionals quizzed have been forced to slum it in standard class after their employer slashed the travel budget. This, even though 80% of business passengers claim to be more productive when enjoying the more luxurious accommodation provided in first-class carriages. We bet they do.

And shockingly, some 38% of rebellious lawyers said they were ‘not inclined to work’ if travelling in standard class. As a spokesman for the train company observed: ‘Typically, a lawyer travelling from Manchester to Birmingham would have 1.5 working hours in a relaxed, spacious environment with access to power, a table and refreshments. The cuts businesses have made mean lawyers are now travelling in standard, which our research has shown to be less productive for professionals on tight, demanding schedules.’

But if the lawyers think they’re the only ones struggling to tap away on the laptop with an inconsiderate neighbour’s iPod pumping on one side and a screaming baby on the other, they may at least take comfort in the knowledge that the profession that has been most affected by this diabolic cost-cutting trend has been accountancy. The study found that 44% of accountancy firms have cut first-class travel, with 46% of bean­counters saying they will not work on the train if they have to travel standard class. Perhaps they will be turning up their iPods instead.