Grand claim to fame

It is a story that has never been told, but we can finally reveal that the Gazette is responsible for the formation of the Richard Grand Society.

The society has been in the news recently for electing a new chairman.

Formed in 1997 and based on the Inner Circle of Advocates in the US, it is a highly exclusive club of top claimant personal injury and clinical negligence lawyers; initially, potential members needed to have recovered at least 5 million in a minimum of five cases but this was dropped because of the publicity surrounding the requirement.

But the whole thing came about because of a story we ran in 1997 about OJ Simpson's lawyer, Johnnie Cochran, becoming the first black member of the Inner Circle.

Speaking to founder Richard Grand, we asked if he had any plans to organise a similar group in the UK.

Mr Grand, in truth, had not given the idea any thought, but keen to give us a good story, said he was considering it.

And when he read this, John Cahill of London firm Stewarts called us for Mr Grand's details and the rest is legal history.

It just goes to show how it pays to read the Gazette.