Alan Plawtridge

My two pennies on Legal Education

2010-11-24T16:41:00.001Z

It seems to be the zeitgeist, so I may as well chip in a with a few thoughts of my own. I'm going to take a different approach to most and give my thoughts from the perspective of the students, those of use who have actually been through it all. I should of course stress that I in no way see my views as at all superior, natch. (I consider that disclaimer necessary following a number of internet-based altercations, but that's another story :p)

There's been a lot of comment (excellent comment, of course) in the blogsphere about the potential changes. Charon QC has had some interesting thoughts and things and it's always a pleasure to read what he has to say, after all he is very well qualified to comment on these things.

Richard Moorehead's recent post also proves an interesting read on the subject. There's alot more out there and there's no need for me to link to it as I'm sure you've probably come across it yourselves anyway.

[/bottom licking]

And onto my view. The review seems, to me, to take a top down approach. Any changes will be influenced by those who are observing the events, seeing the education in action, not those actually partaking in the education. I'm not suggesting that this is a problem per se, but I do think we need to hear a lot more from those of us who are going through or have been through the education because, as the old saying goes, we are the future.

Undergraduate

I'm not going to say much on the LL.b. I don't think it's in need of a huge amount of reform. As students we're still taught good skills at that level, even in the knowledge itself is academic and not that relevant to practice. As was commented recently, a student can go through a whole year of contract law without seeing a contract. However, we need to start somewhere, and I think the LL.b. is a good place to start. And, after all, no all Law Undergraduates actually want to go into practice. I think perhaps the best addition to the LL.b. would be some assessment of student's ability to monitor new laws, comment on them and understand them. In the digital age, it's never been easier to do that.

On a personal note, I didn't find my LL.b. to be much more than a longer and slightly wider (Oooh, matron) version of what I had studied at A Level.

Professional Qualification

The real problems seem to arise after this, when it comes to the BPTC and LPC and their resultant vocational elements. I think first and foremost places need to be cut drastically. The number of available jobs after the course is very small, and despite students being told over and over again that it's tough, it is very hard to appreciate this when it's so easy to get onto the vocational course. It's easy then to fall into the mindset of "Well, I got here, I must be able to get a training contract and pupillage." Without naming any names, one provider proudly proclaimed in their prospectus "We only ever take on students who we consider likely to get a pupillage." I've finished the course, and all that I can say is "Ha!" I think it's almost reckless to make such a statement., it deludes students and gives them a false sense of optimism.

If we cut down to number of places on the course to closer resemble the demand for jobs, I think we'll be on the right steps to a better system. I could, of course, be completely and utterly wrong, but on my basic analysis if it's so easy to get onto the course, and there's so few jobs available afterwards, the qualification itself becomes massively devalued. The courses themselves should, of course, be made MUCH tougher.

Perhaps a slightly radical proposition would be as follows: Merge the two course to make a more universal qualification. Students taking the course will then be able to select certain modules to tailor it towards their chosen profession - either solicitor or barrister - much like they can now tailor their course to their chosen area of practice. Upon qualification they are then at liberty to apply for training contract or pupillages.

The one major advantage of this would be that it would remove the need for cross qualification, and with the recent changes to the QLTT I think this would be a very welcome advantage. Very welcome indeed.

Applying for the vocational stage

I think OLPAS is fantastic, brilliant, but I think it's slightly weakened by being opt in. All pupillages should be advertised on it. All training contracts, likewise, should be listed on asimilar system. Ideally, if a universal qualification were introduced then both pupillages and training contracts would be listed on the same system.

I perhaps overstated how good OLPAS is. It does still leave a lot to be desired. For one it is still very departed from the individuals who are applying. Adding an obligatory video CV section would help massively in chambers and firms getting closer to their candidates. The paper based approach simply ins't fair and it's far from ideal. It leads to situations whereby providers will bin an application on the smallest thing such as a typo. This shouldn't be allowed to continue. Yes, the profession is one which demands thoroughness and the highest level of professionality, but we're all liable to make mistakes, and it may be that that binned application could have been made from a future Lord Denning.

If we can bring providers closer to the applicants before the interview stage, the system will become a lot fairer. It is, after all, a human profession. This profession is all about relationships and connecting with people, and it's extremely hard to do that based on a piece of paper, or words on a screen.

As an applicant, it's very hard to come across as yourself on paper, and I'll admit that in aseveral applications I've felt like I've come across as, to put it bluntly, a massive dick. That's because there's so much emphasis on selling yourself and making it seem like the suns shines out your rectum. The system needs a massive shot of reality. It may be, and I don't hesitate to say that it is, the case that someone who comes across as fantastic on paper actually isn't someone who simply does not get on well in chambers, has a very abrasive personality, is very rude and short with the clerks and instructing solicitors and simply does not work well with clients. In comparison, poor old Joe Typo who got thrown in the bin because of a simple spelling mistake could be the complete opposite, fantastic at advocacy, excellent with clients (putting them at ease, explaining everything) and a delight to work with. To me, that doesn't seem to be a well balanced system, and certainly doesn't seem to be a good system at whittling out those who are best suited to the profession.

Conclusion

And that's my two cents. My opinions aren't the best thought out, and admittedly haven't been researched to any sufficient depth, but they are things which I consider are important to keep in mind, especially regarding the post-qualification application process. It may also be that I'm simply a little bitter at not having pupillage yet, but let's hope not :p

I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.

Come on Mr Bannatyne: Put your money where you mouth is!

2010-11-23T10:08:00.000Z

Most of you will be aware of the storm in a tea cup cause by Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne on Twitter last night. Charon QC has made a post on his blog summarising the situation. The brunt of it is that Mr Bannatyne got a wee bit upset with a certain Andy Burge's views on upbringing children, so much so that he went to the extent of calling him a "phaedophile lover".

Oh Duncan.

There was some too and fro and both sides were guilty of some fury, with Andy even resorting to that dreaded 'C Word'

However one post by Mr Bannatyne interested me. Somehow the issue of a court case arose, which to me does seem a little ridiculous. However, Mr Bannatyne proclaimed the following....

http://twitter.com/DuncanBannatyne/status/6816746837123073

What I suggest is Mr Bannatyne put his money where is mouth is. Why wait for a court case? Mr Bannatyne, I suggest that if you want to support child cancer charities then you do so without wasting the court's time and the court's money. There is no reason to wait for such an outcome. Whatever winnings you would hope to gain, you can donate now. There are a number of charities which would help with this cause. Here is a list.

The Dear Jack Foundation

CLIC Sargent

Cancer Research UK

Kids' Wish Network

Children with Leukaemia

Christian Lewis Trust

Candle Lighters of Yorkshire

Kids Can

I think Duncan owe's Andy an apology and some sort of gesture. To call him a "phaedophile lover" is a despicable thing to do, especially from someone like Mr Bannatyne who is held in such high esteem. He know the world's eyes are upon him, and we'd all expect him to act with a little more decorum.

I hope Andy and Duncan read this, and I hope that this gets retweeted because maybe we can all go some way to helping out with fighting childhood cancer.

--AP

Fight, Fight, Fight!!

2010-11-22T13:22:00.001Z

I love a good fight. Who doesn't?

I was sat in the court waiting room this morning, my hearing being an hour and a half late, and I was subjected to the most wonderful two and fro between two parties who clearly did not agree. It started quite quietly, of course.

"So you say you put the payment through?"

"Yeah"

"Haha"

Silence for a bit....

"YOU'RE A GUARANTOR [PERSONS NAME] DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!?"

Well, of course everyone looks round.

"I sent the money through!"

"You're a born liar, that's what you are! When the judge hears of this, hahaha, ohhh THE YEARS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE YOU PUT ME THROUGH!!! YOU HIT ME... HE HIT ME [to the whole room]!!! HAHA"

Alright, getting a bit awkward now. At this point the court usher intervenes and separates the parties for a quiet word. I was hoping for a full on fight.

But, in all seriousness, why do people do this? It's just embarassing. They obviously know everyone can hear and listen in, but what purpose does it serve? Leave it to the court room, nothing's gonna be achieved by a massive tiff in the waiting room. It's just embarrassing.

Alan's found some work! But is it relevant?

2010-11-21T14:16:00.000Z

Yes, you heard it right, Alan's got some work.

After months of searching high and low, I've finally found something. It's not the best paid work, but it is fantastic work. I'm working as a Freelance County Court Advocate.

Some of you may have heard of this work, some of you may not. For those who have just come out of the BVC/BPTC and are looking to gain experience for that elusive pupillage it really is excellent work. Or so we're told. In essence as an advocate you receive instructions from a number of agencies to provide advocacy and representation in courts across the UK. The type of work covered falls under most of what a District Judge will hear in chambers; possessions, bankruptcy, charging orders etc... all the way up to small claims once you've got enough experience and are on good enough terms with any given agency.

It's good fun, and it's great to be in court. However, there are some naysayers who say that, in reality, it's not going to help you out with pupillage. Those in Camp-Cynic say that because it's simply possessions and the like, pupillage providers aren't all that interested, especially if like me you're hoping to crack you way into criminal law. But to that I say: Well, what else is there?

For the aspiring criminal barristers, there's not that much you can do. There's police station rep work, I guess, but most employers require you to be accredited before you start so you can hit the ground running, so that's pretty much a dead end. Also, in reality, how much more relevant is such work? I suppose you get that experience of client contact, but that's more relevant to an aspiring criminal solicitor.

What else are we left with? Paralegal work is all I can think of. I can't personally see how being employed as a paralegal is any more advantageous than actually going into court and making representations as an agent. Agency work gives you experience of handling your own case load, taking instructions from a number of different source, legal research (to a minor degree), conferencing with defendants, thinking on the spot, making submissions, developing your own court etiquette, time keeping, managing your own affairs and becoming experienced in managing your own finances which I suspect is probably the hardest thing to get accustomed to on pupillage....but I could be entirely wrong of course!

So that's what's happening with me and that's my view of things. If anyone else has any different views or ideas about other experience which would be much more relevant when applying for pupillage, then I'd love to hear them!

-- AP

Will Twitter Threaten Jury Trials?

2010-11-20T17:21:00.001Z

Some how, I don't think so.

Lord Justice Judge has been in the news recently after raising concerns that in the age of Twitter, the jury system as we know it is coming under threat. He highlights a couple of concerns.

He is worried about the potential of jurors tweeting in the court room and sharing details which should not be shared outside of the court. Personally, on this level, I don't see why Twitter should suddenly raise concern about sharing of information. Is it not much more likely that jurors will share information with their families and potentially their friends than on Twitter? Personally I think it's much more likely that a juror will return home and share some juicy details with his wife than make a tweet about it.

The potential for jurors to discuss the trial outside of the court room isn't any more likely now than it was without Twitter. Twitter is merely another medium, it doesn't as far as I can see raise the pre-disposition of a juror to spill-the-beans.

In any event, it's much easier to monitor Twitter-Talk than it is Pillow-Talk. Running a simple search of key phrases and party names could flag up any offending Tweets. Further, a system could be implemented whereby jurors are under an obligation to declare any Twitter account they are associated with to the court. This account could then be monitored for any forbidden activity.

Much easier, and much less illegal than bugging somebody's bedroom...

-- AP

So what now?

2010-09-03T14:33:00.003+01:00

Well, that's it...the BVC is over and I have nothing to do.

It's been a tumultuous journey. There's been some good points and some low points. I've learn a LOT and I feel a different person coming out of it for sure. I also found the love of my life on the course too, which is something I never expected going into it. But, that massive gem of awesomeness aside I'm left thinking...what was it all for?

I've completed four straight years of further education. 3 years at undergraduate and 1 year on the BVC. I've got good grades which I'm proud of (a 2:1 and undergrad and a 'Very Competent' on the BVC...plus an 'outstanding' in professional ethics...I'm 88% ethical!) but the months have rolled on since it's ended and I've nothing to show for it.

I lived out of my student accommodation till the end, drinking away the last few weeks of my tenancy feeling completely relaxed with the course finished, but then reality struck. I had to move back home. And now...what? It's impossible to get a job. I had a moderately ok pupillage interview with a top London set, but nothing came of that. I'm now left looking for paralegal work, which is proving absolutely fruitless.

The problem is, I'm overqualified and under-experienced. I haven't a hope in hell. What's worse is that any firm that has shown any interest in me and even the slightest inclination to train me further has declined to offer me anything in the end because they're afraid I'm going to stick two fingers and bugger off to do a pupillage. Ha, fat chance in this climate.

So, I've sunk to the lowest of the low and I'm now on the dole. Now, I'm using as I should; I am actively seeking a job (manically seeking a job, actually) . I'm not using it to sponge and I'm not using it to help be be a lazy bum. Most of my peers from the BVC are in the same position. But that's no consolation when you're queued outside your local Jobcentre with the dregs of society in the pouring rain, waiting for the office to be opened and welcome you into their den of ineptitude and ignorance. They have no concept of the professional jobs market, which makes signing on every two weeks a painful experience. It's like drawing blood from a stone.

So that's where I am. I had a decent interview earlier this week for a job in Canary Wharf, which I hope comes to fruition. Aside from that, I'm currently making applications to work as a freelance court advocate to a number of firms and dearly hope that they take me on. If I manage to succeed at that, I'd be in an ideal situation both for now and for future pupillage applications. But, until then, I'm stuck with the dregs...

If anyone else is a similar situation, let me know, it may be comforting to know my misery isn't unique!

The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul

2009-10-18T17:37:00.004+01:00

...has now started in relation to the BVC. I feel in a bit of a lull, a little bit aimless, not really knowing where I'm going. Drifting. Maybe it's the drink. Hopefully it will soon pass. I do have a reading week coming up next week which, to me, seems utterly pointless given that we don't actually have a huge amount of reading to be done – most of the work is skill based, research based. There's so far been not need to commit any facts to memory. Either that, or there has been a need and I haven't picked up on it and, in fact, I'm slowly drifting into the realms of being merely "competent." We can't have that, now can we? Being competent is getting 60%. It follows therefore that you can be 40% wrong... 40% incompetent. If that's the case, I hope no 'competent' lawyer ever represents me. Shocking stuff.

Customer surveys! Yes, a great way to pass a few minutes, earn some points towards some Amazon/HMV vouchers, and even take part in product sample. Oooh, exciting. Today's customer survey, courtesy of Toluna, will set me up with a nice, free shaving product to test. Even if I don't get it, the survey's certainly amused me with its questions...

Set C – Thinking about hair removal – please choose one of the following:

The look I achieve by grooming is how I attract others
I just do the minimum required to have an acceptable appearance
I feel a lot better about myself if I have shaved
I love the feeling of being really smooth and clean shaven all over my body

Who comes up with these? Genius.

And finally, my laptop's playing up. It's out of warranty, but I've only had it a year and a half. Going to throw the Sale of Goods Act in Shop Acer's direction and see what happens. I suspect they'll try and disclaim liability. This country.

-AP

Even the RSPCA are at it now...

2009-10-10T13:15:00.001+01:00

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article6868765.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=989864

They should hook up with Baranardo's...

And, as a result, they're liable to pay £1.3m in costs, which is a terrible shame because the bottom line is they are a charity and this'll be a massive blow for the good work that they do do.

Barnardo’s, call yourself a charity?

2009-10-06T15:43:00.003+01:00

My friend is approaching a pivotal point in a long running feud with the charity Barnardo's which could leave her homeless. The basic background is as follows, some details may be wrong as I didn't take it all in, but essentially:

Her grandmother made a couple of wills before passing away. In one of the wills, she left the house to Barnardo's. In another, it was left to the family. Barnardo's are claiming that the will which left the house to the family was written when the grandmother was not of a sound state of mind, and this is true to some extent – she was very on and off. Details are sketchy because her solicitor is either rubbish or being reserved, but it seems Barnardo's do have a leg to stand on, but the situation is entirely novel and it's far from certain.

Whatever the outcome may be, I think it's disgusting that Barnardo's are actually taking it this far to court. Even if they do have a valid (or semi-valid) claim to the house, what kind of charity would pursue it knowing full well that it would make the current occupiers homeless and almost undoubtedly financially cripple them? It's awful, awful behaviour and I really hope that the judge sees sense and denies the claim outright. Or, if he grants Barnardo's ownership I sincerely hope he still gives possession to the family.

If anyone has any thoughts on this I'd like to hear them. Can a charity, a volunteer receiving a gift, have a greater title over a family? I'm reminded of the phrase 'equity will not assist a volunteer' but my Equity and Trusts education was a while back now and I'm honestly not sure how much that phrase applies here...

-AP

Week two, half way through

2009-09-30T22:08:00.003+01:00

Well, we've finally started on the advocacy here at the BVC. It took a while, but it's here. Sort of. We were questioning Humpty Dumpty, a tad patronising, but we had a laugh and I guess. It does get you accustomed to the techniques. It's a nice taster of what's to come, and I can't wait to dive headfirst into the advocacy course proper. What's pretty nifty is the rest of the sessions from now until the end are going to be held at the old Guild Hall here, which is where the old assize courts were heard back in t'day.

A thought did occur to me during this advocacy introduction – my success at the BVC in fact has a lot to do with the seminar group I'm a part of. It's a great group, and we all get on really well, but a couple of other groups don't seem to gel as well from what I've heard. If you don't gel, I imagine you won't enjoy the advocacy as much and naturally won't do as well as if you did enjoy it. Being in a group you gel with could be the difference between competent, very competent or outstanding.

I’m a trend sheep, baa!

2009-09-29T22:46:00.003+01:00

Having just read stupidgirl_no1's recent blog post I thought I'd take the time out of the monotony of Opinion Writing (on contract! Yuk!) to fill in this little Q&A. I have no idea where it originated from, or where it will go, but I'll credit Woodsiegirl, JennieLaw and InformationOverlord.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack?

Anything. It's usually coffee. Not a snack, but it's always consumed when reading. If not, SuperNoodles or a sandwich.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

Of course I do. The sanctity of the book is an utterly ridiculous idea. You don't need to treat it like a god, the content is the same dog-eared or not.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

Dog ears, random bits of paper, banana peel...whatever's at hand.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Fiction, usually.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

I don't know if it counts as an audio-book per se, but I do love the HitchHickers Guide to the Galaxy Radio series. Aside from that, hard copy and the odd PDF.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?

Wherever, I'm easily distracted by thoughts of food, drink, what's outdoors, pornography, another book. This makes it very hard to get back into a book. Especially after the pornography.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

At home, yes, if I'm on a train I'll nod along and keep up the pretence that I know what I'm reading. Under no circumstances will I approach a stranger and ask if they know what it means. That could lead down any number of unforeseen conversational routes I'd rather avoid.

What are you currently reading?

Douglas Adam's The Meaning of Liff. I'd highly recommend it. Not a typical book. It's a kind of faux-dictionary. He's taken all those words that hang around on signposts that have no meaning (i.e. Place Names) and attribute them to things which we're all familiar with, but which have no definition in the OED. Examples include:

CLUNES (pl.n.)
People who just won't go

CORRIEARKLET (n.)
The moment at which two people approaching from opposite ends of a long passageway, recognise each other and immediately pretend they haven't. This is to avoid the ghastly embarrassment of having to continue recognising each other the whole length of the corridor.

ELY (n.)
The first, tiniest inkling you get that something, somewhere, has gone terribly wrong

To name but a few. BUY IT NOW!

What is the last book you bought?

Alice in Wonderland, Penguin Classic's Edition. I bought it in preparation for the Tim Burton adaptation coming up. It's actually quite poor, I fund the introductory notes about Lewis Carroll's possible paedophilia to be much more entertaining.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

I tend to accidentally read more than one and very rarely read just one, on its own, start to finish. I've had a copy of 1984 going for a few years now, it really is quite an achievement.

Do you have a favourite time of day and/or place to read?

Bed, or when I do actually have something better to do.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Stand alones are fine, but I do love a good series. The Hitchhikers Guide as you can guess from my previous answers is my favourite. Douglas Adams was taken from us far too soon. L

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

See above.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author's last name, etc.?)

My organisation is very simple, very effective, and easy to learn. Put it wherever there's space. Works like a charm. Until you have to find the book again, but when you're done with it what're the chances anyway?

A view from my Nottingham Roost

2009-09-28T21:45:00.003+01:00

Well, my first week in Nottingham has finished in a flash. There's been a lot to take in, both socially and "professionally". I put that in air quotes because we've have it drummed into us from the start that the BVC is not the last year of out student lives, but the first year of our professional lives. That's somewhat true, however taking into account a couple of nights which involved a lot of alcohol and some very unprofessional conduct I can say that this is only partially true. It's certainly got a much more mature atmosphere than Uni had, but outside of working hours we're all still hanging on to our last chance to be students even if the party line is that we're now professionals.

The process of settling in was a breeze. Having already gone through it at Uni, I knew exactly what to expect and what I needed to do to make this a very enjoyable time. That horrible gut wrenching feeling you first get when your parents drop you off at Uni and you realise you're now on your own was completely a thing of the past. Within a day, I already felt like I was in a true home from home. I've got quite a smashing view of the city, should be ample opportunity for some nice nightscape photos at some point.

Although, I don't think there's been a single day go by that a police car hasn't shot right down my street. I really hope I don't get to see 'Shottingham' live up to its name.

Overall, it's safe to say these Plawtridge is happily nested, and not feeling that urge to fly back south to Norwich any time soon.

I hope to update the look of my blog soon, so if anyone's got any great tips I'd love to hear them – alan.plawtridge at googlemail dot com

Tax deductible porn? Nipple clamps!?

2009-09-27T12:10:00.004+01:00

A US tax laywer has failed in his claim to deduct a whopping $111,364 from his tax liability for money spent on therapeutic sex. This is porn addiction on a whole new level, and the guy even spent $42k on prostitutes? My personal favourite details is the claim on nipple clamps which is a complete first, apparently. Has no one told him that you can get porn for free on the internet and meet people in bars and clubs for the cost of a few pints and maybe some of your dignity? It completely dwarfs Jacqui Smith's husband's expenses claims for two measly porn films totalling a mind boggling £10! Come on Britain, step up the sleaze. It's embarrassing.

We just get put to shame on the international scandals scale. Claims for grouting? Houses for ducks? It's child's play. Remember the Belgian politician, Tania Derveaux, who offered to give 40,000 blow jobs?

In our defence though, I can't think of a single politician in Britain who could successfully pull off that pose...

-AP

Psychic Spies and Atheists

2009-09-26T14:03:00.003+01:00

I'm a big fan of Derren Brown and I've been lucky enough to get tickets to see him live. Unfortunately, it's in Ipswich and not Norwich but I can forgive him for that. Unfortunately I didn't manage to 'remote view' but, nonetheless, his latest show was very entertaining especially towards the end. As an aside, did anyone notice the adverts he claims to have placed in the daily papers which influenced us to draw the concentric circles? In his blog entry he's linked to a video of Richard Dawkins. Unlike Brown, I am not a big fan of Dawkins. He's a pompous git. Now I may be biased because I'm agnostic leaning towards Christian but this guy really grates my cheese. The utter intolerance he exhibits is as bad as the intolerance he accuses believers of, and yet he seems oblivious to this hypocrisy.

Anyway, I'll get to the point of my post. He's written a new book called 'The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution.' My only reaction to this is – what is the point? Does he somehow believe he's made some great discovery? Some scientific breakthrough? There's no call for it. We all know evolution pretty much happened. We all know creationists have it wrong. We don't need a book 150 years after The Origin of Species telling us that the Origin of Species had it right. Look at his video here. He claims that he wants to create some sort of educational revolution by curing the 40% of the US who don't believe in education. Good luck. I can pretty much assure you they won't be buying this book. Just let evolution take it's course and these people will eventually drop out of the gene pool anyway.

Considering his target audience, this to me seems to be the equivalent of stumbling into an off-license blind drunk and proclaiming to all inside that alcohol is really bloody good, and highly recommending that they take it up. Now take your brown bag of liquor and sit in the corner. You're not big. You're not clever. What Dan Brown is to fiction writing, Richard Dawkins is to atheist-scientific writing.

-AP

Aha!

2009-09-25T14:43:00.003+01:00

Welcome to the blog of Alan Plawtridge, a Norwich Law student (not born but) bred, currently struggling in the rough waters of pupillage applications and bar school. This is just a cursory post to check everything is in order, and hopefully, soon, my blog will begin to swell with details of my life. Not literally, that would be hideous.

Here is a test image.

©BBC