ABSTRACT
I sometimes take a mischievous delight in asking trainee solicitors what a legal service looks like. As I stand by the flipchart in the training room I ask them, ‘When you go to the shop to buy a television, what does it look like?’ One of them will get up, take the squeaky marker pen and draw a TV on the flipchart. I pause to comment on the artistry and lead them on by asking, ‘When you go to the supermarket to buy a bottle of wine, what does it look like?’ Another springs up and draws a claret bottle with a flourish. Legal training can be so much fun! Now that they’re getting into the swing of it, I close in with, ‘OK. Good. Now, when your client comes to you for legal advice, what does it look like?’ Snap! Confusion and uncertainty ensue. ‘Is it a trick question?’ the ones fresh from law school enquire. ‘That’s not a fair question!’ argue the budding litigators. ‘We’ve never been asked that before!’ complain those in the conveyancing department.
