Back when legal aid became readily available for divorce cases, discontented wives who had married young realised they no longer had to put up with disagreeable husbands.

Now, despite his ever-growing clientele, Simpson was desperately insecure. Other solicitors were not colleagues. They were wolves raiding his flock. If affidavits had to be sworn, clients could not be relied on to do it for themselves. They might be seduced by the person who took the oath. So, I had to accompany them, shepherding them back safely to Simpson’s pastures.

This distrust grew as the young women turned up in droves. Applications for legal aid were completed in his execrable handwriting, but, instead of asking clients to wait a few minutes while the crucial statements were typed out and pasted into the form, he thought that was sufficient and sent off the application in the next post.

In some applications, the evidence was probably not there, and Simpson, who was essentially a kind man, couldn’t bear to be the bearer of bad news. But, even if there were crystal-clear grounds for divorce, they were indecipherable and came back rejected and likely unread.

Fortunately, appeals were available, and off these duly went. This was where I came in. Poor Simpson had a stammer which got worse under pressure, and pressure was what you had from, if I remember correctly, the No 1 Legal Aid Area Appeals Committee. Unqualified, I had a right of audience, and off I went to try and give the impression I knew what was going on. 

Appeals were held in the late afternoon in Red Lion Street. The committee was composed of either five or seven men, whom I considered to be elderly but were probably no older than Simpson. The questions that I tried to parry came in rapid-fire. ‘Why does this amount to cruelty?’ ‘What corroboration?’ 

I think I won a good number, and at least  I usually managed to obtain a certificate ‘limited to counsel’s opinion’. After all, they knew a great deal more than a mere solicitor. 

James Morton is a writer and former criminal defence solicitor.