All articles by James Morton – Page 9
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NewsReceiving end of a real wigging
It is always dangerous for old fogies to dive in on today’s quarrels, so I will merely dip a toe. The subject is rude judges who undermine young advocates’ confidence to the extent they are reduced to tears and carry the memory with them for days or weeks. First, just ...
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NewsCooking lunch at her convenience
Whatever misdemeanours are revealed in the next report of the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office, our judiciary is non-league compared with premier league-standard Las Vegas family court judge Elizabeth Halverson. She qualified in 1992 and in 1995 became a clerk to the 8th Judicial District before setting up her own practice. ...
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NewsDeath becomes her at Old Bailey
Florence Earengey sat in on the Beatrice Pace murder trial when her husband was junior counsel to Norman Birkett, but the first woman to lead in a murder case at the Old Bailey was Venetia Stephenson. She defended William Holmyard, charged with the December 1928 murder of his 72-year-old grandfather. ...
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NewsOur new moral entrepreneurs
I wonder if the demonstrations over the Charlie Gard case, the opposition to Martin Moore-Bick in the Grenfell Tower inquiry and the general attack on the judiciary over the Brexit hearings are the start of what sociologists call a ‘symbolic’ crusade – complete with ‘moral entrepreneurs’. In a symbolic crusade ...
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NewsSolicitor hangs after forgery
In 1789, Shropshire solicitor Thomas Phipps, his son Thomas Jnr and their clerk, 16-year-old William Thomas, went on trial at Shrewsbury Assizes for the capital offence of forgery. The victim was a Richard Coleman, once an excise officer and now an Oswestry publican. Phipps senior had leased two parcels of ...
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NewsJailed financier's bolt for freedom
James Morton recalls De Courcy’s brief escape from custody.
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NewsExotic flowers in the jury box
First women to sit on juries faced expected and unexpected challenges.
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NewsWindies legend bowls 'em over
I can’t think in my pantheon of sporting lawyers how I came to omit the great West Indian cricketer Sir Learie Constantine. Mea culpa. He played for the Windies from 1923 until 1939, during which time he also played in Lancashire League cricket. Morton landscape Wisden described ...
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NewsDestroyer of Victorian vice
Sometimes I worry about solicitors becoming too involved in their cases. A case in point, admittedly a century ago, is that of C H Collette, solicitor for the Society of the Suppression of Vice.
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NewsThe great days of conference
Confession. I miss the style of conferences the Law Society used to hold. I know I railed against them in the past, claiming they were a waste of money, but I miss them.
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NewsRearranging the flowers
Recently there was a reminder of when two women were wrongly convicted of stealing teddy bears from Princess Diana tributes.
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NewsA trial that may never end
The case of convicted murderer Mark Lundy fails to leave the headlines.
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NewsInjudicious behaviour
Now we have some judges actually getting down and dirty, we complain about it.
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NewsBygone days mowing lawns
Before the advent of law centres, pro bono work involved mowing elderly lady clients’ lawns.
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News‘Mad’ Frank the litigator
We recall the later career of ‘Mad’ Frank Fraser, who died last month.
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