One of the benefits of the legal profession being fractured into representation and regulation bodies is that there are more parties in the diary. Last week it was the Bar Standards Board's turn to celebrate its independence from the Bar Council by breaking open the bubbly at the atrium at London's Barbican Centre. The legal profession &150; and the bar in particular &150; is renowned for enjoying a good freebie booze-up, so readers can imagine how shell-shocked many of the BSB guests were to discover that new chairwoman Ruth Evans was going to make them suffer for their fun.


Before being released into the indoor jungle for the fizz and nibbles, Ms Evans launched into a full PowerPoint presentation in which she set out the BSB's mission statement, strategic plan, purpose, structure, jargon with more jargon on top, etc. She was followed by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (although the bar still likes to call him the Lord Chancellor), who winked at the gasping crowd before telling them that he had no similar PowerPoint display. 'You will have to cope with your disappointment,' quipped Lord Falconer.