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Anon 12:09,

That reminds of the joke about the barrister who arrived home one Friday night to find his house flooded by a water leak. He called a plumber. Just as the plumber had finished investigating the source of the problem, the barrister asked him how much the work would cost.

'That's a perfectly fair question,' said the plumber. 'You've called me out at 10 o'clock on a Friday night, so there's my emergency call-out charge of £300. The work itself is relatively straightforward and should take no more than two hours, at an emergency hourly rate of £300. Your parts will add another £150, then you've got VAT on top of the lot, and there's your price.'

The barrister looked aghast. 'My father sweat blood to send me to Charterhouse, and I sweat my own blood getting in to Oxford. Since then, I've carved out a niche for myself in an area of law in which I am acknowledged as a leading practitioner. Clients from all over the country beat a path to my door, yet I can't charge anything like £300 an hour.'

'No' said the plumber, 'Nor could I when I was at the Bar.'

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