It is always a good idea to keep in your secretary's good books.

Otherwise you might suffer the same fate as Erik Klinkhamer and Haco van Oordt, two shipping lawyers from Dutch firm AKD Prinsen van Wijmen, who have ended up as the main cartoon characters in a comic strip about lawyers drawn by their (former) secretary, Esther Keijnemans.

Ms Keijnemans insists that the concept behind the book, Hamerink & Van Boordt, was to bring out the 'subtlety and the humour of the legal profession'.

The style of the pictures, she adds, signifies 'the rich colour of life that exists behind the rather grey and dull perception' that - Obiter is shocked to hear - some people have of lawyers.

Given that Obiter's command of the Dutch language is rather shaky, it is reassuring to be told that the lawyers do at least get the upper hand in some of the 26 episodes.

Apparently Ms Keijnemans is thinking of having the cartoon translated into English, and she already has a title - Hatchel Brewhammer & Haco van Board.

Those crazy Dutch people, whatever will they think of next?