In these difficult times, at last some good news. A chap called Steven Pearce writes to tell us that redundancy isn’t so much the end of employment but the beginning of the chance to bounce back in life. In fact, Pearce, who describes himself as a business coach, has written a five-point plan to help solicitors in this situation.

Step one is to ‘de-frag’ your mind. Obiter had thought that fragging was a Vietnam war-era punishment for excessively gung-ho junior officers, but apparently it’s also something to do with computers. De-fragging means ‘corralling data on a hard drive into a contiguous arrangement’.

Next up, embrace change. Apparently, when a big change has been forced upon you, it is also a good time to make other smaller changes that you’ve been meaning to get around to for years. For some reason, Obiter’s thoughts turn to his sock drawer.

Step three is to define your personal brand. The guru suggests you write down three of your best professional achievements and what skills you ‘brought to the table’ to achieve them. (Head your notes ‘About Me’, in case your mind is still a bit fragged.)

Step four, our favourite, is ‘Look sideways’. Obiter advises you not to try this while walking along busy streets, and wonders if Pearce has considered the risk of litigious clients taking it too literally.

Finally, talk. ‘You’re not alone,’ Pearce points out, for the benefit of anyone who’s brain was fragged last autumn and has been looking sideways ever since. Actually, this sounds the most sensible advice of the lot. You will also notice that it’s written in a language called English.