Andrew Baillie, QC, of 9 Gough Square, prosecuted the defendants, including the founder Michael Bright, who were found guilty of fraud in relation to the collapse of Independent Insurance. He was sentenced to the maximum seven years’ imprisonment. It was one of the most complex cases investigated by the Serious Fraud Office.

What were the main challenges in this case and the possible implications?
Any case that runs for several months requires teamwork, focus and momentum. The facts of this particular case required all concerned to have some understanding of insurance concepts that would be unfamiliar to most judges, never mind jurors. In any long case, the jury have to believe that they are carrying out an important task that is within their collective compass. The reliability and demeanour of this particular jury, the questions they asked, not to mention the result, showed that a jury can deal appropriately with a complex case, contrary to the views of some politicians and others.

What was your worst day as a lawyer?
A few months after finishing pupillage I was instructed to appear against my former pupil-master, Anthony Scrivener (now QC), in front of Lord Chief Justice Widgery.

During the course of the previous day, and most of the night, I gradually persuaded myself that my case was unarguable . . .

What was your most memorable experience as a lawyer? . . . The following morning, Mr Scrivener ran into a hail of awkward questions. After a few minutes Lord Chief Justice Widgery suggested that the appeal seemed to have fallen at the first fence.

Scrivener replied: “I do not mind falling at the first fence but I do rather object to being hacked to death in the starting stalls.” The court found in my favour without calling on me.

Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
Mr Evans, my English master when I was 11 to 13 years old, taught me to look for the derivations of words and also how sentences are constructed. Without such knowledge, nobody can really attack the meaning of anything expressed in words.

Why did you become a lawyer?
Boyd QC was the Kavanagh QC of the late Fifties and early Sixties. Played by Michael Denison, he was tall, handsome, clever and dressed in a wig and gown. He conducted himself with conspicuous integrity and he lost only occasionally. It was irresistible.

What would your advice be to anyone wanting a career in law?
It is a wonderful career for people who enjoy the accurate use of words but who are looking for work of practical importance. Many idealistic and ambitious young people are attracted by the prospect of appearing as advocates protecting the rights of people in trouble. They soon learn that there is usually a trade-off between financial and other rewards.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
New challenges, more mediation, more travel, more triathlons.

l_tsang@hotmail.com

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