Kicking off law’s ‘London Season’ the 48th Legal Charities Garden Party took place under lowering skies. But despite the distant rumble of thunder the gardens, and several hundred guests including Law Society president Jonathan Smithers and chief executive Catherine Dixon, stayed dry.

The change of venue from Lincoln’s Inn to Gray’s Inn seemed to lend the party the air of a medieval fair on entry, with hosts’ stalls and banners bordering the Inn’s rectangular tree-lined main garden, leading up to a bar with champagne from Fleet Street watering hole El Vino.

Entertainment came from steel and jazz bands.

Arrangements avoided one past error, the Gazette was pleased to note. In 1972 when HRH Princess Margaret attended, to avoid money changing hands in the presence of royalty, the cost of unlimited champagne was added to the ticket, with the fairly predictable result that it ran out.

Proceeds from this year’s event were divided between SBA – The Solicitors’ Charity, the Barristers’ Benevolent Association, Institute of Barristers’ Clerks Benevolent Fund, CILEx Benevolent Fund and LawCare.

Rain finally broke after 11pm – a safe two hours after the party packed up.

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