Unconditional anger Kerry Underwood - the not terribly shy and retiring conditional fee agreement (CFA) guru - could barely contain himself at the recent seminar to launch the Society of Advanced Legal Studies report on the ethical issues surrounding CFAs.

Indeed, Mr Underwood was less than impressed with what he saw as the working party's hostility to CFAs and could barely believe his ears when its chairman, Richard Southwell QC, admitted a touch sheepishly that few working party members actually had much experience of CFAs themselves.

Mr Southwell, a commercial silk, confessed that he himself was 'semi-retired'.

'Semi-detached more like,' Mr Underwood muttered to a neighbour, giving up to his irritation and speaking so un-sotto voce that he could be heard on the other side of the chamber.