The crying game

It is good to see that respect for the Bar still exists in the City.

At the packed and very noisy launch of this year's Chambers & Partners Directory at the Savoy in London last week, little heed was paid to the award winners announced by various people shouting into microphones on stage.

Strangely, it was only when commercial barrister of the year Laurence Rabinowitz was called on to make a speech that something approaching hush descended; there was certainly far too much grumpy muttering to hear the chap from Linklaters on his firm's award as law firm of the year.

Fortunately, the decibel level dropped the moment the directories were handed out - mainly because about half the room left to check for their names and firms in the comfort of their train home.

'I'm going into a corner to cry,' Obiter overheard one lawyer say, fearfully clutching his directory to his chest as he left.