Law Society’s Gazette, October 1969

Random ramblingsThis time I hope the weather will be kinder for the golf competition which is held on the last day [of the annual conference]. In 1967 at Scarborough the wind blew and the rain pelted down so that my partner and I gave it up after five holes and, after a warm shower, spent the rest of the time feeding sixpences into the one-armed bandit in the clubhouse.… As an hors d’oeuvre to winter’s activities, there is the Law Society’s Art Exhibition early in November at which I never cease to marvel. To me, knowing nothing at all about art, the standard seems incredibly high. It is, I suppose, due to my ignorance that I never agree with the judges’ order of merit. I am always amazed that so many solicitors can find the time to produce these works of art but, perhaps, that is what keeps them sane. It provides an antidote to the pressures and frustrations of a busy and increasingly unremunerative practice.

Members of the judiciary occasionally feel it necessary to censure solicitors, as much for acts of omission as for commission, and invariably utter a reminder that we are officers of the court. I wish someone would tell me what this means because the small amount of research I have been able to make has failed to provide a definition. One of my partners hopefully suggested that investigation would reveal that as officers of the court we were entitled to free beer once a year. On the other hand, a catty barrister friend said it was derived from the fact that in early days our predecessors were employed in the courts as ushers and such-like and that we have progressed from there…

GA Dodsworth