Obiter

Timely reminder Most timely press release of the week comes from Manchester firm James Chapman & Co, dated 24 March.

It begins: 'St Valentine's Day was the perfect excuse for staff at James Chapman & Co to raise their glasses - all in a good cause.' A whole six weeks to run up a press release about a cheese and wine evening which raised 1,000 for the British Heart Foundation - who says public relations is not a real skill? Next week, we await word of the legal implications after the shock news that the Beatles are to split.

Heartwarming taleMeanwhile, most inconsequential press release of the week comes from Sheffield City Council, which breathlessly informs us that 'an Internet competition winner has a heart of gold'.

It is the warming tale of Doncaster solicitor Chris Downton, who won a competition on the council's Web site for tickets to watch comedian Peter Kay in concert.

'The generous winner decided to donate the 50 value of his tickets to Comic Relief,' the council explained, with marketing manager Gary Marsh hailing it as 'a wonderful gesture'.

It was, indeed, a good thing for Mr Downton to do, and we'll assume it was something of a slow week for news in the Steel City.

Courting successIt's amazing what a few months and a mention in Obiter can do for you.

Witness the Law Society's squash club, which we reported on last November after it played in its only remaining annual fixture and was - let's not beat about the bush here - taken to the cleaners by the East Sheen Lawn Tennis and Squash Club in south London.

Such is the power of Obiter, however, that the ailing club was then inundated with offers of players and matches, and the first one manifested itself last month against DLA, which was played at the offices of fellow City firm Field Fisher Waterhouse.

Well, what a difference - the Law Society team ran out convincing 3-0 winners, with club chairman Giles Stimson, an in-house lawyer at the Financial Services Authority, Paul Marchand of White & Case, and Field Fisher's own Mark Sellers all victorious in what we are assured were close-fought contests.

The only problem now is that the club will build up such a fearsome reputation that it will again be without opponents, but if you believe that you are up to the task, contact Mr Stimson on giles.stimson@fsa.gov.uk.

And we are assured in the strongest terms that he does notinfluence his opponents by threatening FSA investigations into his opponent's clients should he lose.

Firms get the hole story over lunchNow here's an idea that will surely catch on among those many solicitors who find that pesky clients occasionally keep them away from the somewhat more important matter of reducing their golf handicaps.

Manchester firm Rowe Cohen recently hosted a mini-golf tournament at a Manchester health club that offers urban golf facilities (pictured are Rowe Cohen partner Graham Small, professional golf coach Steve James and Roger Blaskey, a partner at accountants Kay Johnson Gee).

Apparently, you can play one of 30 world-famous courses without taking a step, pretty much, and in an effort to recreate the golfing experience as fully as possible, there is an inviting 19th hole as well.

Backed by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the health club, GL-14, is to start a corporate league, in which it is a fair bet that there will be several law firms.

A recent survey by PizzaExpress found that 38% of lawyers questioned in a survey by the restaurant chain were most likely to tie up new business on the golf course.

A further 20%, somewhat surprisingly, like to make deals at the gym.

The not in any way self-serving survey also 'revealed' that 55% of lawyers regularly take industry contacts out to lunch.

However, lawyers do not lunch contacts all that royally, it appears: they spend an average of 26.33 a head on lunch, 2.43 below the national average, while an embarrassing 57% say they are ignorant of dining etiquette - ordering something they later wish they had not, such as spaghetti or oysters.

Box of tricks: Big news from south-west firm Clarke Willmott (which has now cast aside the final '& Clarke' in a re-branding exercise) after it crowned office manager Sue Ryan as its queen in a radical departure from the senior/managing partner concept.

Ms Ryan was carried around the firm's new offices in Bristol, enthroned in a packing crate, to familiarise staff with their new leader.

Most considered it a wise move, we're told.

An alternative explanation for this picture is that Clarke Willmott is doing its best to get news of its office move into these pages with a novelty photograph.

Pictured from left are partner William Juckes, receptionist Wendy Coles, marketing director Hilary Gladwell, Ms Ryan and partner Stephen Rosser.

What are the odds that this is as dirty as any partner's hands got?