Musings and Snippets from a recently retired JP. I served for 31 years, mostly in west London. I was Chairman of my Bench for some years, and a member of the National Bench Chairmen's Forum All cases are based on real ones, but anonymised and composited. All opinions are those of one or more individuals. JPs swear to enforce the law of the land, whether or not they approve of it. Nothing on here constitutes legal advice.
Friday, October 09, 2015
Wonderful Stuff
This post from a barrister rings horribly true; may I respectfully commend it to your attention?
Which courts use "Your Honour"? I've only been in Your Worship, M'Lud and M'Lady courts (and never as the defendant!) M'Lady was particularly good at querying the expression "a few days" which always turned out to mean "a few weeks" when precise dates were given.
Why "horribly" true? It is on the contrary a very useful device to prevent professional to become a little too jaded. Once I was in court while a defendant was presented who'd been arrested while running away from an old lady whose purse he'd taken. The policeman described the facts, mentioning her with a word you might translate "the old puss" ; defendant and counsel followed suite; the prosecutor followed suite; the judge followed suite; there was some lenghty discussion,in which the victim was "old puss"; finally defendant pleaded guilty, so the judge sentenced him straightaway and sent him off. He was turning to some other business, when a woman's voice came from the gallery: " May I go, then?" The judge looked up: "And who, pray, would you be, ma'm?" "I'm the OLD PUSS, SIR." Needless to say, a deeply embarssed judge had to make his and everybody else's apologies to the poor lady.
Nationalist and Anonymous, according to http://findlaw.co.uk/law/z_articles-for-carousel/500448.html, Circuit Judges are addressed "Your Honour". High Court Judges are "My Lord/Lady", District Judges are "Sir/Madam", and Magistrates are either Your Worship or Sir/Madam.
Once when at the European Court of Justice (as an observer!), in the case of the Commission v Greece, one of many cases that with Commission v Italy apparently make up about 3/4 of their case load, the President started with "You may assume that we have all read the submissions and are familiar with the case and the law, so please limit your comments to the most important points."
Although there are many other procedural steps preceding such hearings, each party is given just 10 minutes to speak. Love it. And without giving the game away, I've used it a number of times when it is suspected that an attorney/advocate is about to launch into a recital of every damn word they've written in a case.
Posts are pre-moderated. Please bear with us if this takes a little time, but the number of bores and obsessives was getting out of hand, as were the fake comments advertising rubbish.
Doesn't "It's a matter for you" equate to "I haven't got a clue" ?
ReplyDeleteWhich courts use "Your Honour"? I've only been in Your Worship, M'Lud and M'Lady courts (and never as the defendant!) M'Lady was particularly good at querying the expression "a few days" which always turned out to mean "a few weeks" when precise dates were given.
ReplyDelete“My client has a number of witnesses” = My client has a large extended family
ReplyDelete"Which courts use "Your Honour"?"
ReplyDeleteCrown court.
In the Metro newspaper today !
ReplyDeleteIn the Metro newspaper today !
ReplyDeleteWhy "horribly" true? It is on the contrary a very useful device to prevent professional to become a little too jaded. Once I was in court while a defendant was presented who'd been arrested while running away from an old lady whose purse he'd taken. The policeman described the facts, mentioning her with a word you might translate "the old puss" ; defendant and counsel followed suite; the prosecutor followed suite; the judge followed suite; there was some lenghty discussion,in which the victim was "old puss"; finally defendant pleaded guilty, so the judge sentenced him straightaway and sent him off. He was turning to some other business, when a woman's voice came from the gallery: " May I go, then?" The judge looked up: "And who, pray, would you be, ma'm?"
ReplyDelete"I'm the OLD PUSS, SIR."
Needless to say, a deeply embarssed judge had to make his and everybody else's apologies to the poor lady.
Nationalist and Anonymous, according to http://findlaw.co.uk/law/z_articles-for-carousel/500448.html, Circuit Judges are addressed "Your Honour". High Court Judges are "My Lord/Lady", District Judges are "Sir/Madam", and Magistrates are either Your Worship or Sir/Madam.
ReplyDeleteOnce when at the European Court of Justice (as an observer!), in the case of the Commission v Greece, one of many cases that with Commission v Italy apparently make up about 3/4 of their case load, the President started with "You may assume that we have all read the submissions and are familiar with the case and the law, so please limit your comments to the most important points."
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are many other procedural steps preceding such hearings, each party is given just 10 minutes to speak. Love it. And without giving the game away, I've used it a number of times when it is suspected that an attorney/advocate is about to launch into a recital of every damn word they've written in a case.