Establishment under fire from press and solicitors ; ;It was a week when the establishment was on the back foot, whether Tony Blair, the House of Lords, Lord Irvine or that venerable body of traditionally grey-haired and blue-rinsed sorts, magistrates.

;The future of magistrates is in the hands of a former Olympic shotputter, a forgotten pop star and a news reader, according to The Independent (28 November).

The paper reported how Geoff Capes, David Harman (of the well-known group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich) and Carol Barnes, all lay magistrates, are appearing in a 50,000 PR campaign designed to counteract government criticism that the profession is old, white and middle class.

;The chairman of the magistrates commission apparently wants to generate some good publicity following Jack Straws threat in the summer to name and shame magistrates who were known to be soft on criminals and he hopes to do this by highlighting minor celebrities who double as lay magistrates in their spare time.

;Prime Minister Tony Blairs attempts to push many of his less popular Bills through the House of Lords came under scrutiny from an editorial in the London Evening Standard (27 November).

It said the government has only itself to blame for the failure to convert Bills such as the Criminal Justice (Mode of Trial) Bill limiting the right to trial by jury and the attempt to repeal s.28 into Acts.

;The government may complain about obstruction by the upper house, but they created the very situation that made obstruction likely, by accepting the new make-up of the Lords, thus forfeiting their right to attack it as an antiquated chamber.

The paper urged Mr Blair to retrieve the issue of stage two reform [of the Lords] from the long grass where he had hoped it would rest, and speed up the long-term plans for the upper house the alternative being the prospect of this autumns farce becoming an annual event.

;Another governmental farce was reported by The Observer (3 December) which delivered a stinging attack on the stock comic figure of Lord Irvine, while warning that Irvines absurdities shouldnt hide his acquisition of vast reserves of power and patronage.

;The Lord Chancellor appealing last week against an employment tribunal ruling finding him guilty of sexual discrimination when he appointed his close friend Garry Hart as his special adviser is, according to The Observer, an almost Orwellian figure.

No one can say that Irvine has behaved improperly.

No one can say a damn word with any assurance because Irvine appoints and promotes the judiciary in secret.

;To a most anti-establishment figure, with The Guardian (4 December) profiling Imran Khan, the solicitor whose life was transformed when he became involved with the Stephen Lawrence case in 1993, only 18 months after qualification.

Mr Khan has now set up a niche firm specialising in impact cases such as the Asian youth Zahid Mubarek, who was beaten to death last March by his racist cell mate in a young offenders institute.

;Mr Khan admitted that although this work is currently very fashionable, it is also unchartered territory with no state help available.

However, the Lawrence case showed that there may be plenty that a lawyer can do and his optimism is such that the words it cant be done are apparently banned in Mr Khans offices.

;Another equally positive profile of a solicitor known to fight the establishment appeared in The Times ;(1 December).

Martyn Day, the solicitor who helped former Japanese PoWs to win 167 million compensation and requested a 1.5 million fee last week, declared himself very upset at his portrayal as a money grabbing bastard.

He was very proud to have worked with the PoWs, and would be disappointed if that wasnt recognised.

The Times helpfully offered a breakdown of how Mr Day earned his fee, concluding that if he was charging at his normal rate, his time alone aside from all the other work done in the case would have come to 1 million.

;Finally, proof that contradicting recent press reports the world has not gone completely compensation crazy.

The Independent reported (28 November) how the High Court recently ruled that a travel agency was not to blame for injuries sustained when an immensely large lady became stuck at the end of an airplane escape chute and caused a pile-up.

;Victoria MacCallum