Could you tell the difference between a world-famous nightclub mogul and a West Kensington criminal defence solicitor? It seems that, for some, this is a challenge. Obiter had the pleasure of meeting Peter Stringfellow, principal at Stringfellow & Co, to discuss the likely impact of the government’s plans for price-competitive tendering.

Amid the gloom and his fears for the justice system, Stringfellow revealed that his firm often gets mistaken for the Covent Garden and Soho nightclubs owned by his namesake. ‘I get calls at 2am from revellers asking if it’s OK for them to wear jeans, and have been sent CVs and applications from dancers,’ he said.

The way things are going, Stringfellow may wish he had gone into the nightclub business. As one of his staff noted: ‘I would earn more as a pole dancer than as a legal aid lawyer.’