Most lawyers would like to be rewarded by their clients financially, we'd wager. However, US company Lyondell Chemical has a, shall we say, novel way of recognising achievement. At a recent get-together of its outside litigators, the company held its latest knighting ceremony. Yes, you read that right. According to Corporate Counsel magazine, some 17 lawyers were inducted into the 'Knights of the Lyondell Enterprise'. While they didn't have to bend on one knee, they did receive a four-foot-long sword as a souvenir (a challenging one to explain to airport security).



They were also celebrated with mock-heroic proclamations describing their deeds. Here is an extract from the proclamation relating to a trial in which a Wisconsin resident claimed injury from paint that may have been manufactured by a Lyondell subsidiary: 'And in the late hour of the last week, the swords of the Enterprise Knights did break the blades of the enemy into shards. And in that moment, the clouds parted and a silver finger of Divine light shone forth.' The associate general counsel then apparently raised his hand and led the room in unison: 'Victory was ours.'



The things outside lawyers have to do nowadays to stay on a panel...