* Wigs are far from dead yet. Not only have the circuit bench clung to theirs (for all cases, not just criminal) — even the district judges, who sported the new gowns at the ceremonial opening of the legal year yesterday, ended up wearing barristers’ wigs. Not quite the vision that Betty Jackson, designer of the gowns, must have had in mind. “They felt it would look a bit odd in the procession being the only ones without wigs,” one judge explained.

* Congratulations to David Pannick, QC — now Lord Pannick — after his appointment as a Lords cross-bencher this week. Pannick, 52, a columnist on these pages since 1991, said he was “very excited” about the new role and hoped “to contribute to debates on human rights issues and play a part in committees in helping to ensure that draft legislation meets high standards of legality”. If he is too industrious he could do himself out of some of his judicial review work — which of course, his chambers, Blackstone, is at pains to point out, he will continue, along with the rest of his human rights and sports law practice. As if to prove a point, he’s in court today, acting for Debbie Purdy, the MS sufferer, in her challenge over aiding suicide laws.

The peerage crowns a glittering career, with Pannick a QC aged only 36; fellow of All Souls for 30 years this year; and appearances in a record 90-plus appeals in the House of Lords with 30 each in the European Courts of Human Rights and Justice.

* Pannick’s law practice owes something — as do all sports lawyers — to Edward Grayson, who has died aged 83 (Times obituary yesterday). Grayson, a colourful character on the conference circuit, was the founding president of the British Association for Sport and Law and could genuinely claim to be the first real sports law expert.

* Who deserves to be solicitor, barrister or legal executive of the year? The shortlist for the Law Society Excellence Awards is out and will be announced at a dinner on October 23 (shortlist at www.lawsociety.org.uk/awards).

* The timing was uncanny: even as news was breaking of the US House of Representatives' rejection of the bailout plan, a top-level debate was taking place in the City of London's Guildhall on law and business. The debate, part of the 2008 Temple Festival, had contributions by Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, in his last two days as Lord Chief Justice; Sir Andrew Large, former deputy governor of the Bank of England and chairman of a hedge fund; and Lord Browne of Madingley, former chief executive of BP. Lord Phillips neatly sidestepped comments about the crisis, saying: "Many are blaming the current financial crisis on lack of regulation" but added that his own contribution would be "retrospective". It took the former Bar chairman, Stephen Hockman, QC, to ask what everyone wanted to know - who was to blame? How had all this happened? Sir Andrew Large laid the fault at everyone's door; while Lord Phillips put it down to "lack of commercial wisdom".

* With all around losing their heads, the Tories did well to get any media mention of law-and-order proposals emerging from the party conference this week. Dominic Grieve, Shadow Justice Secretary, wants "have-a-go heroes" to be protected from prosecution or even arrest - timely after the death of Frank McGarahan, a banking executive, who was beaten to death in Norwich after going to the rescue of a homeless Lithuanian man and his girlfriend who were set upon by a gang of thugs. Grieve said that police should be told to consider if people are acting in good faith to prevent a crime before arresting them and prosecutors told that they should weigh motives of trying to do good before charging people.

* Meanwhile, Alan Duncan, shadow business secretary, signalled a radical overhaul of the employment tribunal system to stop "bonkers" rulings against firms. He said it was time the 40-year-old system was shaken up to give bosses more flexibility to hire and fire in line with their companies' needs. His call for urgent reform was sparked by a tribunal decision this summer that forced a London hair salon to pay £4,000 compensation to a Muslim woman who was refused a job because she wore a headscarf. The woman had been rejected for 25 hairdressing jobs.

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