WHEN I reported a couple of weeks ago that Linklaters was hosting a poetry reading of Keith Douglas’s poetry in its offices I did not realise what a treasure trove of language I was opening up. Suddenly poetry is running wild across City law firms as lawyers recognise that their stock in trade is also the raw material of sublime art.

Next up then, is a super evening on Poetry and Identity (an interesting legal issue in its own right) at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday next week. This is being looked after by Penningtons, and Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, will be speaking as part of a panel. But the dazzling wordplay will come from Lynton Kwesi Johnson, Billy Bragg and George Szirtes, winner of the 2004 T. S. Eliot prize. To complete the picture Farrer & Co is sponsoring the top prize of £5,000 in this year’s Arvon Foundation International Poetry competition to be awarded at the end of the month. As James Furber, a partner, explains, the arrangements came out of a happy coincidence of personal contacts but that it made perfect sense in leveraging the firm’s profile given that its has particular strengths in media, sport and sponsorship.

So, at last, an alliance between the lawyers and the “unacknowledged legislators of mankind”. Long may it last. For more details go to www.arvonfoundation.org/competition.asp and www.poetinthecity.co.uk

Peerless giving

I HESITATE to call Tony Williams, the former managing partner of Clifford Chance, a celebrity lawyer but he is rapidly becoming the Bono (or do I mean Pro Bono?) of the legal charity world.

Back in 2000 he established the International Lawyers Project to provide an opportunity for experienced UK lawyers to work in developing countries to spread around their expertise.

From a standing start the project could not have done better. With backing from a dozen top law firms — including, to their credit, all the “magic circle” — projects will now be going ahead in territories such as Darfur, Mozambique and Tanzania. The project also has the warm backing of Lord Goldsmith, QC, who recently said that he wanted City firms to focus one tenth of their pro bono activity abroad (although unfortunately no peerages are attached to this particular act of charitable giving).

For more, go to the project website: www.internationallawyersproject.org

Inviting thoughts

SOMETIMES the best parties are the ones you don’t attend but just fantasise over. Hence I have relished speculating on last Thursday’s launch of the Chambers Europe publication that took place on Via Narone in Milan. Food fantastic, glamorous Italian lawyers and Michael Chambers blasting his trumpet Milanese-style. Ah yes, a party to savour.

edward.fennell@yahoo.co.uk

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