Mental Capacity Act specialist ramps up the comedy and dispels the boring Chancery lawyer stereotype
Barrister Barbara Rich will soon be parading around legal London kitted out in a highly coveted “Lord Denning is my homeboy” t-shirt after winning the top prize for the Legal Cheek-sponsored funniest photo competition from last month’s Legal Walk around the capital.
In the winning shot, members of team Chancery Bar are beaming from seated positions and holding a sign that commands: please do not sit on these steps. The caption reads: “Members of the Chancery Bar team upholding the rule of law.”
Now that’s comedy.
The contentious trusts specialist is based at Lincoln’s Inn Chambers 5 Stone Buildings and also edits the Elder Law Journal (which contrary to initial assumptions, is not the same publication as the Daily Telegraph).
Her practice particularly focuses on Mental Capacity Act 2005 cases as well as wider Chancery work.
The common view of the Chancery bar is that it is populated by crusty barristers, spending days on end hunched over dusty old law reports from centuries past and drafting tediously long opinions on the meaning of trust law and taxation.
Does Rich’s sharp sense of humour dispel the Chancery lawyer stereotype — or is she merely an outlier? Rich’s photo could be evidence that Chancery lawyers really do have a personalities. Then again, maybe it just demonstrates a keenness to flout Inns of Court rules.
Other photo contest winners from the charity walk included:
Thomas Chappatte, an associate in the energy and infrastructure department at magic circle law firm Linklaters: best view of the walk.
Norton Rose Fullbright: best team picture.
Thomas Chappatte (clearly a budding snapper) and Emma Finch of the campaigning group Liberty: joint winners for best animal photo (Chappatte squeezed off a shot of swan, and Finch captured the immortal image of a dog in a t-shirt, although sadly not one of a Legal Cheek vintage).
Previously:
‘Grayling and Gove attempt to go unnoticed’ — the London Legal Walk in pics and tweets [Legal Cheek]