Sometimes pictures, they say, are worth a thousand words. The look on the face of Paul Kimber, head of costs at Manchester claimant firm Amelans, in photos sent to us to mark his recent full body shave certainly fit that bill.


Mr Kimber, known to the dozens of viewers of Amelans' BBC TV series the other year as 'Buddha', is apparently also known around the office as 'Gorilla' and 'Hairy dog' in recognition of his hirsuteness (although as a former UK judo champion, we wouldn't recommend addressing him thus unless you know him very well).



Anyway, to raise money for Francis House, a children's hospice in the city, Mr Kimber last week subjected himself to the razor in the salubrious surrounds of a room above a hairdressers' salon in south Manchester. The firm sent us a statement suggesting that the pictures 'look like someone's dropped a block of lard on a hairy carpet', but Mr Kimber himself was quoted as saying: 'It was a new experience for me. I loved the pain.' Oo-er.



Obiter would never suggest that this was a walk in the park when compared with working for Amelans partners and Obiter veterans Andrew Twambley and Martin Cockx. Indeed, such is his feisty reputation that we imagine those unsuspecting defendant insurance solicitors who have come up against Mr Kimber in costs disputes will probably be happy to see him receiving - rather than doling out - the pain.