THE solicitor Fiona Shackleton must be thrilled at her New Year Honour. The former lawyer to the Prince of Wales, who was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, was one of the scapegoats in the 2003 report into the collapsed Paul Burrell trial. It emerged that she was placed in an impossible situation over allegations of rape within the Prince’s household and she says that she was “under pressure for a solution to be reached more speedily than I was able to achieve ”.
Since, Shackleton, known as the Steel Magnolia, has not enjoyed the close relationship she had with the Prince when advising him on his divorce. She still, though, advises his sons. Shackleton’s policy is never to talk about clients, or even say who they are. But in a rare departure her firm, Payne Hicks Beach, said her gong was “in recognition of work done for the Royal Household and the Prince of Wales”. “Fiona,” it adds, “is the solicitor to Prince William and Prince Harry.” Her rehabilitation is complete.
Advertisement
WHEN the Law Society of England and Wales ponders its future and whether to slim its governing body it will no doubt bear in mind the costs of the 105-member council. It costs £575,000 a year to run, including £46,000 a meeting; £150,000 for council elections; £97,000 minimum on annual allowances; and £7,400 for council diaries. A council of 12 would cost £240,00 a year to run and £6,000 a meeting.
SOME people are destined to land on their feet. Janet Paraskeva, the chief executive of the Law Society, has been made First Civil Service Commissioner, a (part-time) post she will assume gradually as her present job winds down. Is it something about the name? Another Janet (Gaymer, senior partner at Simmons & Simmons), meanwhile, becomes a Civil Service commissioner.
Advertisement
IF YOU aren’t allowed to advertise yourself, then the next best thing is to star in someone else’s ad. A recent issue of Counsel magazine carries a full-page colour ad from Sweet & Maxwell for its Lawtel daily update featuring Mark Engelman, who discloses that his favourite toy is a 1960s Aston Martin and his cause the Globe Theatre. A striking black woman barrister appears in a second ad from the publisher for its case law service. She explains that her idea of a perfect retreat is the Drunken Duck Inn, Ambleside, and that opera is her way to escape. Sadly, she doesn’t get the benefit of being identified. Let’s hope she got a good fee.
Advertisement
MISHCON’S has sent out a handy little guide — no, not to its deals and clients, but to London’s best restaurants. Obfuscation is not on the menu, it declares. In a covering letter the firm does slip in that when stories from celebrity lawsuits to internet crime hit the headlines, it has lawyers “media-trained to give soundbites”. Then it adds: “If you’d rather chat over lunch with one of our experts, that is where the good food guide comes in.” Tasty marketing ...
lawdiary@thetimes.co.uk