HARDCORE LAW 3

The trial ended horribly for the enemy. The reasons are somewhat technical, but involved an adverse Court of Appeal decision (well two actually) from an earlier (but related) action. The million quid they had expected from us (ie the client) was up in smoke and boy did that hurt.

We (for the purpose of this post “we” should be taken as inter-changeable with “I”, “us” or “the client”) knew that the enemy was beaten, but that didn’t stop us putting the enemy’s solicitor in the box for a final kicking last Friday. I know that will sound harsh to some, but believe me, he had it coming.

By Monday morning he had been sacked from the case and the enemy was on his knees; every single part of their case had been lost or abandoned. The day was spent hammering out the terms of settlement that were then scrutinised by a Judge on Tuesday. The precise terms remain confidential. However, I can tell you that, in the dying moments of defeat, we made the other side read a statement to the Court (that we had written) in a final act of humiliation.

Life is a mean business. On this occasion I sincerely believe that we achieved a just outcome. I acted for a defendant who had no choice but to respond to a claim for millions. Throughout the action we tried repeatedly to negotiate a settlement, but the other side were hell bent on dragging the client to trial.

The surprising thing is that almost as soon as it ended, even though the process had been exhausting, the whole thing seemed like a nasty dream. Back in the office my desk is already collapsing under the weight of similar disputes. One after the other after the other; and so it goes on. The weight of responsibility, the sheer pressure and high stakes is transforming me into something that I am currently unable to adequately describe.

Until next time, please be nice to each other…