WHAT THEY DON’T TEACH YOU AT LAW SCHOOL VIII: BUNDLES, COURTESY & MINTS

January 20, 2017 · by · in Avoiding negligence claims, Useful links

This is the second review of guidance to young lawyers given on Twitter. There is lots of interest here.  Some common themes appear to be: bundles; courtesy; be very nice to court staff; manage client expectations;  don’t work too hard.  There is more to come.

“Don’t assume the other man in court is the usher & make “I want water” gestures. (He was a senior judge appraising the DDJ)“

@sally2109@CivilLitTweet@Familoo always say give judge case summary, chronology + statement of issues at first CMC even if not requested
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
6:01 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@snigskitchen@CivilLitTweet I may have said the Claimant’s case was “all emotion and no law” but my clients took defeat well.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:56 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
               
@snigskitchen@CivilLitTweet It was Friday. The Chairman insisted on giving us the decision “today”. I wanted them to reserve it.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:53 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@snigskitchen@CivilLitTweet On my 10th and last wedding anniversary, I lost the unloseable case in a room in a hotel in N Wales.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:50 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@BudgenRupert@CivilLitTweet Don’t worry. Got beaten by that very stick many times in my life!
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:50 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@Familoo@CivilLitTweet Exactly! If your brief contains a basic one, still do your own detailed version. #lawschool
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:49 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
               
@snigskitchen@CivilLitTweet The skill is doing in a way which doesn’t leave the client wishing they had different legal representatives (2)
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:48 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@snigskitchen@CivilLitTweet Managing client expectations usually involves telling C of weaknesses in & just how risky/poor his/her case is.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:48 PM – 14 Jan 2017

5:48 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
.@CivilLitTweet 2 Managing client expectations is one of the first must learn things. Or you give them a stick to beat you with. #lawstudent
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:32 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet If you order ramen by the case, it’s often cheaper than buying single packages.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:31 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               

@sally2109@CivilLitTweet whether or not u need one 4 the judge – u’ll know case backwards by the time u finish. 1/2 yr prep! #lawschool

5:31 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@Familoo@sally2109@CivilLitTweet Learn how to forget every detail assimilated for last case to make space for next, & how to find it again
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
These #lawschool advice tweets are fab – all (often sadly) so true as well! https://t.co/4WHQ5KEALk
@spiki67@SuprCollegeChef@CivilLitTweet Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-client. Just wary how young lawyers can B2 trusting/keen 2 please.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:00 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
               
@CivilLitTweet I always have an emergency pack for court – paper clips, mints, change for coffee machine, headache pills, spare pen, charger
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
5:00 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet and how to get paid?!?
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
4:22 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
.@CivilLitTweet 4 Clients can be greedy, dishonest and demanding. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you. Be vigilant. #lawstudent
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
4:22 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@andybarc@CivilLitTweet@reppermediator Get your wheelie case repaired. A good wheelie case is an essential tool of the trade.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
4:22 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               

4:22 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet All bundles should always be chronological. Begin at page 1 with the earliest document. Don’t do it thematically or by issue.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
4:22 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet If you can’t find a document’s place in the chronology, you don’t know the case well enough.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
4:21 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet Barrister like coloured stationery. Other advocates may not share the fetish. I don’t. Therefore, I can never be a Barrister.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
4:21 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@PaulSkinner84@CivilLitTweet – are you sure you don’t mean “Judges are beings imperfectly trying to be humans”?
@CivilLitTweet@TRLegalUKI Don’t be afraid to say to client you don’t know and will find out. They’ll respect that more than fudged answer.
@reppermediator@CivilLitTweet The environment is the only reason to do double sided copying. In practice, it’s horrible.
[City law] It’s v boring, but top ££ re the amount of brainpower expenditure required (none). You’ll do 3 years the… https://t.co/ZD9M47B8LL
@CivilLitTweet if you may want to photocopy what you’re highlighting later on use yellow highlighter -& never pink, blue or green #lawschool
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
2:11 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@timoconnorbl@CrimBarrister@CivilLitTweet@MAM12CP Or suffer with emergency paper clips digging into neck
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
2:11 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet remember that judges are human beings trying, imperfectly, to do the right thing.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
2:11 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet Don’t assume the other man in court is the usher & make “I want water” gestures. (He was a senior judge appraising the DDJ)
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
2:10 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
Great responses https://t.co/RYivQEGU7Z
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:53 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet Everybody likes a guy that shares their mints. When waiting for a judge start eating one. A mouthful reduces the wait.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:52 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@alxbsitch@CivilLitTweet@off_the_Leish Lever arch bundles just need stronger arches. Ever spent a 5 day trial using one that’s bent?
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:50 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@BudgenRupert@CivilLitTweet@MattJEJackson plenty too as an “out” ex cop… ???
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:45 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@BudgenRupert@CivilLitTweet@MattJEJackson As a cop, I encountered plenty of barristers & solicitors who hadn’t… And on here I find >
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:45 PM – 14 Jan 2017
@seanjonesqc@CivilLitTweet Eg: Cork is terrazzo and old pitchpine, and comfortable. The Four Courts is granite, and leaves my feet aching.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:44 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@seanjonesqc@CivilLitTweet Even the flooring of individual courthouses will become familiar for the effect on your feet.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:44 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet You’ll spend a large amount of your life standing. Shoes in which you can stand comfortably for 4 hours + are essential.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:43 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@Michaelelyplace@CivilLitTweet WTF?! “That plastic pocket didn’t disintegrate in the post” said no person ever.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:43 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@MattJEJackson@CivilLitTweet I have encountered a few Barristers who have not heard this, Matt. One is a QC. He was rude to me and everyone
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:42 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@MattJEJackson@CivilLitTweet else when I was the R’s Rep and he was for the Claimant. A few years later, I was his instructing Solicitor.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:42 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@alxbsitch@CivilLitTweet mate be of interest: Sheriff Appeal Ct in Scotland cracking down on form and layout of bundles now ….
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:42 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@MattJEJackson@CivilLitTweet He was rude to everybody again. Always silky smooth with the ET and a brilliant advocate but he made it clear
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:42 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@alxbsitch@CivilLitTweet expenses can be go against party where “A bundle of authorities which does not conform to this Practice Note…”
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:42 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@MattJEJackson@CivilLitTweet that he believed he was better than me. Then, I saw him on a train and he waved at me like a long lost mate!
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet Don’t work 14 hours a day for 6 months, not even if you love it. I tried. I failed. I may make a complete recovery one day.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
Bundles are always of interest @off_the_Leish@CivilLitTweet
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@alxbsitch@CivilLitTweet haha ? Apparently they must be bound.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@Michaelelyplace@CivilLitTweet Yet I hate unstapled documents!
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
Would they prefer exhibits printed in Hello Kitty notepads? @off_the_Leish@CivilLitTweet
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@tonylaw67@CivilLitTweet we used to give the ushers and admin chocolates at Xmas which in turn got me the occasional cup of tea
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:41 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@alxbsitch@CivilLitTweet I was also recently informed that the Ct has specifically disapproved of lever arch files for bundles now
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:40 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet in closing submissions, when explaining client’s concerns re contact going into the ether. Do not say urethra by accident.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1:40 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet …(b) put a divider between every single document in a file or (c) put docs in plastic pockets in a bundle
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:35 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet there is a special place in hell for people who (a) staples authorities together in an authorities bundle….
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:35 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet double check your double sided photocopying (may only give the reader half the picture) #lawschool
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:34 PM – 14 Jan 2017
@CivilLitTweet don’t think “I’m not instructed on that” is a screen 2 hide lack of preparation at hearing 2 identify issues/direc
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:22 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
That a large part of law life is spent worrying about bundles?@CivilLitTweet
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:21 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet don’t cross examine aggressively – does not work well
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:21 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet@tonylaw67 also be polite to your opponent – no need to be rude you will see your opponent again
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:21 PM – 14 Jan 2017
@AlisonJBurge@MAM12CP@CivilLitTweet I’ll have to try that. It’ll definitely get the court’s attention.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:19 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               
A tactic applied by my former Head of Chambers who is now a Lady Justice in Court of Appeal. I bet she still uses i… https://t.co/yGCXCKtsNq
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
12:19 PM – 14 Jan 2017

               

017

               

11:54 AM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet some of the nicest people I’ve met in the law were ushers. The good ones are also very astute
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
11:54 AM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet@tonylaw67 important across the board, not just court staff, those in chambers, solicitors’ clerks. #law school
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
11:54 AM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet@tonylaw67 chocolate biscuits please!
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
11:54 AM – 14 Jan 2017

               
@CivilLitTweet@tonylaw67 also applies to clients, have seen and heard junior barristers speaking disdainfully about clients at court.
Retweeted by Gordon Exall
1
.@tonylaw67 But seriously a common theme from many has been the need to treat court staff with respect (& give biscuits when appropriate)
11:18 AM – 14 Jan 2017

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