Ok, so there's not really any braces content in today's chapter, it's more of a filler to introduce us to one of the bits of Amanda's world of barristers.
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Chapter 25
Dinner is served
I walked around to Amanda's chambers after work. As I walked in, I remembered that I had said to Suzannah, one of the clerks there, that I would say hello when I came around.
"Good afternoon, how can I help?" asked the smartly dressed guy on reception.
"Oh, hello, I'm Danny, Amanda's boyfriend... but I was actually hoping to have a quick chat with Suzannah first, if she's still here?"
"Oh, hello there, Danny, nice to meet you. I'm sure Suzannah will still be here, let me call her"
"Thanks". He picked up his phone, and made a brief call.
"She'll be here in a moment...".
A smart looking lady, I'm guessing in her early to mid 30s, came into reception. "Danny?" she asked I nodded, and she came over and shook my hand. "Nice to finally meet you. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I'm actually here to meet up with Amanda, and drag her away from work, but I did say I'd say hello to you when I finally came here"
"Ok, well, it's lovely to meet you, Danny, and nice to put a face to the name... so why don't I take you up to Amanda's office?". She looked over to the receptionist "Do I really need to get Danny to sign in, he's only going to be here a few moments, to collect Amanda". He shook his head. "She's up on the second floor" said Suzannah, leading me up the rather plush stairs. If I had to say to you 'imagine what a modern barrister's chambers looks like', I suspect you'd think modern but traditional, nice carpets, nice pictures on the wall, and that sort of thing: and you would be describing where I was.
Up on the second floor, there was a small and discrete sign next to the door that simply said "Amanda Spencer". The door was slightly open, but Suzannah still knocked the door before going in.
"I have a visitor for you...." she said, showing me in.
"Oh, hi Danny!... so you've met Suzannah then" said Amanda as she came over and gave me a simple formal kiss on my cheek. I took a quick look around her room. Over to the right was a large L-shaped desk, pretty much clear apart from a few personal bits, and a small pile of what I guess were law reference books. To the left was an area with four comfortable-looking armchairs in front of a window, with a table between them. On the table was a tray with glasses, and a couple of bottles of water. To the side was a sideboard, with what looked to be a drinks tray, with several small glasses and a couple of half-full decanters; next to it was a bookcase, full of reference books. On the wall were a couple of pleasant, yet modern, paintings. The décor was simple but very smart: I hated to think how much Amanda actually charged her customers to be able to pay for all this!
For some reason, my mind briefly imagined Jenny, from that girl-band, singing and recording her song ideas whilst in here.
"Yes, I asked for her when I arrived, seemed like a good time to actually meet her" I said, bringing my attention back to Amanda.
"Good thinking.. Ok, well I'm ready to go" said Amanda, picking up her bag. "Thanks Suzannah, at least next time Danny will know where to come!"
"Nice meeting you, Danny!" said Suzannah, as she left us in reception.
"Right, let's get over to my place and get changed, we need to be there at 7pm for a 7:30 start". I had left a set of smart clothes, including my new suit, over at Amanda's. We both had a very quick shower, and got dressed. I was in a white shirt, with tie, and the suit, plus my nice new shoes.
Amanda was in a very smart, yet formal, black dress, stockings, and red high heels. Whilst she hadn't actually spent long doing it, her makeup looked as excellent and discrete as ever.. well apart from the bold red lip-gloss that she liked to wear. Tonight, her hair was tied back into a smart ponytail. On her ears she had rather expensive-looking ear-rings, and a matching brooch (and knowing Amanda, I guessed they probably WERE expensive!), a delicate bracelet, and a couple of rings on the third finger of her right hand.
"Oh, my, you DO look good in that suit!" said Amanda.
"Thank you... you look pretty scrumptious yourself"
"I wonder how headgear would go with your suit - would it clash?" joked Amanda. Her phone pinged with a text, saying that the taxi was waiting for us.
On the way, Amanda explained what the dinner was: all London barristers belong to a 'bar', and there's a certain number of formal dinners that they need to attend. Some of these events are for barristers only, and is where the older, more experienced, barristers met with the younger inexperienced ones: these occasions often included some training, but was mainly a chance for the younger members to interact with their older peers. As well as, apparently, drink large amounts of alcohol, much bought by those 'older peers'!
However, tonight's event was a more social event, and partners were made welcome. So, I'd be meeting both younger and older lawyers, and their partners.
"Anyone else from your chambers going?" I asked Amanda.
"No, I don't think so. But don't be intimidated by anyone. There's going to be a mix of senior and junior barristers there, and it's quite likely that there will be a high-court judge or two there too, but tonight isn't about rank, it's about meeting people, so just think of them as very intelligent, very experienced people, most of whom have some very good fun stories to share!"
Traffic was light, and we arrived with about 10 minutes to spare. As we went in, we were given name badges, so that everyone would know who everyone else was. Amanda's said "Ms Amanda Spencer, Kings Square Chambers", whilst mine said "Danny Jones, Guest".
We walked into the large hall, where the dinner was taking place.... wow, what a place. Imagine an old traditional building, maybe 300 years old, the inside looks like you'd imagine a building at Ocford University looks like... or that dining room at Hogwarts. Tall vaulted ceiling, wooden panels on the walls, various coats or arms and oher similar things on the walls too. The place was clearly oozing with history!
"Oh, hello David, fancy seeing you here tonight!" said Amanda to a guy also in his late 20's
"Amanda, lovely to see you, it must be all of... what... 72 hours since we talked!" replied David
"David, this is my boyfriend, Danny."
"Hi there, David.... so what's with the 72 hours then?" I asked
"Ah, yes, David and I were working on a small case last week, opposing sides of course"
"Oh, ok... anything interesting?" I asked
"Well, I was representing a small charity - pro bono - and Amanda's client was an artist: it was a copyright case concerning a picture someone had taken of her client's painting..."
"Oh, I thought photos of paintings didn't have copyright?"
"Like David's client thought, that is a popular misconception. It's only ok if the original paining is out of copyright.... so picture of old masters are fine. In this case, the painting was only months old, so there was no doubt that there was a breach of my client's copyright" explained Amanda
"If this case had gone to court, it would have probably killed the charity, as well as bankrupted the trustees, but instead, Amanda came up with an excellent win-win solution, for which my clients are amazingly grateful! So, a question for you Amanda, did you do this one pro-bono as well? I mean, I know your client is starting to make a name for himself, but I can't imagine he's especially well off"
"Well, no, but..... Hey, Danny, would you take a photo of me please.... He's going to paint a small and simple portrait of me, that I can give to my parents, as my payment."
"Having seen some of his work, that's going to be interesting...." commented David
"If I'm honest, that's part of the appeal, I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does! So you see Danny, sometimes its not all about the money, or winning!". She passed me her camera, and I got her to line up against an interesting part of the wall, and took a couple of pictures, which I showed her.
"Oh, yes, I like it... I wonder how he'll interpret that?".
Picture taken, Amanda lead me to the side of the room, where there was an easel with some papers on it.
"Let's see where we're going to be sitting, and who with.... ah, here we are....oh, now THAT will be interesting!" said Amanda
"What will be interesting?"
"Well, we're going to be with a few pupils, as well as with Sir Brian Hancock - he's a High Court Judge"
"The "Judge" bit I understand, but I think I need the crash court in understanding how the "High Court" bit fits in..."
"Ok, keeping is simple: a case is either criminal, civil, or family: Criminal is breaking the law of the land; civil is things like libel, so person to person, family is things like divorce. The majority of criminal cases tend to be dealt with in the Magistrates court, but can then go up a level, to the Crown court, where you get juries. On the other hand, most civil cases start in the County Court. The High Court, which is where Sir Brian sits, considers bigger civil cases, and appeals from the Magistrates, County and Family Courts. Then above that is the Court Of Appeal, with the Supreme Court above that - they both deal with appeals based upon 'points of law'"
"So where do you work?"
"I work mainly in the County Court, because pretty much all my stuff is civil, and not that exciting, but I have been to the High Court on a few occasions... and funnily enough, the last time I was in the High Court was about two or three weeks ago, in front of Sir Brian! But I've never met him outside of court, so tonight will be interesting."
"And judges are ex-barristers?"
"High court ones certainly are, some judges in the lower courts can be ex-solicitors"
"And how do I address him?"
"He will be 'Sir Brian', unless he tells you otherwise. I suspect that he will be formal with us, so calling me 'Miss Spencer', and you 'Mr Jones'... don't worry, that's just the way things get done. For other people, take my lead, it depends on who it is, some will be Mr, others will prefer their firstname."
Amanda turned, and recognised someone. "Oh, hello Justin, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight!"
"Oh, hi there, Amanda. Yeah, last minute thing"
"Justin, this is my boyfriend, Danny. Danny, Justin is a pupil in our chambers"
"Yeah, that's another question I have: I'm seeing some people have badges saying 'Pupil', others saying 'Pupil Barrister', what's the difference?"
"Well" answered Justin, "I'm a pupil, so that means I'm in my first six..."
"First six?" I asked
""Yes, first six months of pupillage. Simplistically, in my first six I just watch what's going on. In my second six - so months 7 to 12 - I can actually do proper barrister work, so I will then become a 'Pupil Barrister'. It's a technical but also legal distinction"
"So, have you worked with Amanda yet?"
"No, I'm working pretty exclusively with one of the other barristers at chambers, but I would love the chance to work with Amanda for a few days, to see the sort of work she does"
"I'm sure that could be arranged" replied Amanda. As she said that, a discrete bell rang. "Ah, time to go and sit down." Amanda led me to the correct table, where there were name cards indicating where to sit. There were 10 seats at the table, and Amanda was in the middle on one side, and I was sat next to her. Already there was another couple, a Pupil Barrister called David, and his partner Alice. Next to arrive was a young lady who sat opposite me, whose badge announced that she was 'Ms Sarah Appleby, Long Street Chambers'.
"Hello Amanda!" she said as she sat down.
"Sarah, long time no see!... how's things going? Long Street Chambers, that's near Southwick, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is, and things are going pretty well for me - I'm guessing you're doing ok too, I saw your name mentioned recently, some copyright case wasn't it?". They chatted briefly.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot, this is my boyfriend, Danny. I met Sarah when we were both doing our BPTC... that's the post graduate course barristers have to do" explained Amanda.
As we chatted, other people arrived at our table, including Sir Brian. He looked to be in his late 50s, dressed in a very smart formal suit, and I was able to see that his name badge said "Sir Brian Hancock, Judge"
"Good evening, Sir Brian, so nice to see you again!" said Amanda as he sat down, "Can I introduce my boyfriend, Danny Jones".
"Good evening, Miss Spencer, it's always a pleasure to see you, and nice to meet you too, Mr Jones. I will admit that I do have a lot of respect for Miss Spencer" he said to me, "she's only been in my court a small number of times, but in all cases I seem to remember that she came very prepared, and presented a good case"
"Thank you very much, Sir Brian!" replied Amanda. Yes, Sir Brian looked every part of what I imagined a judge would look like: an older person, smartly dressed, formal, polite ...
"So, Mr Jones, I'm assuming you're not in the legal profession, so what is it that you do?" Sir Brian asked me
"Well, I'm a technical support engineer and trainer for a high-tech equipment manufacturer" I replied.
"Ah, that sounds like a much more 'hands-on' job compared to what we do, but by no means any less important. And don't let anyone here tell you otherwise!" he said with a smile on his face. "So, who else do we have on our table this evening? Please, briefly introduce yourselves...".
"Why don't I start?" suggested Sarah, who was sat next to Sir Brian "I'm Sarah Appleby, Long Street Chambers. Amanda?"
"Amanda Spencer, Kings Square Chambers, this is my boyfriend, Danny Jones". Others around the table introduced themselves and their partners: most were still doing their pupillage, although there was one other, quite junior, qualified barrister.
"And I am formally known as 'The Honourable Sir Brian Hancock', or simply 'Sir Brian', but as we have guests with us tonight, I think it might be easier if you just call me Brian, if that's what you would prefer!".
It was about then that the soup was served at our table, which turned out to taste excellent. As we ate we talked.
"Tell me, Sir Brian, how did you actually get to be a Judge?" I asked.
"An excellent question. I'm sure most people here know all the details, but for those outside the profession, I can imagine it's a bit of a mystery how you become a judge. I started off as a barrister, so just like most of the people here tonight. After practicing for about 10 years, I applied to the Appointments Commission, and was appointed as a Deputy District Judge, then I think it was about 3 years later I became a District Judge, sitting in the County Courts. A few years later, I had the honour of being selected to be appointed as a High Court Judge. As with any other job, you have to demonstrate your abilities, and not upset anyone" explained Sir Brian. He then looked at Amanda (who was sat straight opposite him), and asked "Tell me, Miss Spencer, or even you, Miss Appleby, have either of you ever thought about applying to become a judge? We need more women and people from minority groups."
I think the question rather took Amanda by surprise, as she was silent for a few seconds. "I must admit, I 've never actually thought about it, although I probably do have just about enough experience"
"Well, please do think about it, I've certainly seen you in court, and I think you might enjoy it.". Sir Brian talked a bit more about it with Amanda and Sarah, then started to talk more with the others. By the time we were eating our deserts, many quite amusing anecdotes had been shared by Sir Brian, Amanda and Sarah.
After the dinner, Amanda introduced me to a couple of other people she knew, and spoke with them briefly.
"Well, you seemed to cope well with that, how did you enjoy it?" Amanda asked me as we were being driven home in the taxi.
"I was a bit apprehensive when you first said we'd be sitting with a judge, but by the end of the evening, I think I was quite ok. Not the normal sort of thing I do on a Monday night, but no, it was interestingly different. It seems to be a strange sort of profession, many quirks going back into history, like the place we were tonight"
"Yes, the Inns of Court go back hundreds of years, the original hall was built back in the 1400's I think, but it got damaged in the Great Fire of London, and finally got bombed out in the war, so the current building is actually only from the 50s. But it is rather nice, isn't it?" explained Amanda. "So, you think you're gonna be ok if we go to a few more things like tonight?"
"Yes, I think so... as long as I can persuade you to come along to some rather lower-brow evenings too"
"Oh, yes, I think I can manage that" said Amanda, putting her arm around me, and cuddling up to me in the back of the taxi.
