Bank on it

Within a generation it seems that bankers have morphed from sober, clean-living types into buccaneering ne’er-do-wells, rollicking from champagne bar to lap-dance club and then off to court in the morning.

Certainly the latter is true. According to figures from Sweet & Maxwell, more than 56 per cent of reported High Court appearances by FTSE 100 companies in the past year involved financial services companies, with Lloyds Banking Group topping the list with 40 High Court dates. No wonder financial services litigation practices are enjoying such a healthy return to profitability.

Unwritten law

With the smell of new government in the air and after Parliament’s expenses humiliation there is growing interest in that enigma wrapped in a mystery, the British Constitution. To fuel the debate Clifford Chance last night hosted a talk by Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government at Oxford, whose new book on the subject is likely to attract massive interest. Change is coming? Don’t bet on it.

Pure calling

Just after 9 o’clock this morning the Rev Paul Nicolson, chairman of the charity Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K), is giving evidence to the Parliamentary Bills Committee considering the Child Poverty Bill.

Z2K is calling for minimum income standards but as well as campaigning it also helps poor people to access justice when they face claims for debt or fines. Z2K’s chief executive is Joanna Kennedy, previously a partner at Collyer Bristow, who knows her way around the legal system.

“We urgently need more volunteers to act as McKenzie Friends, advisers and advocates for our clients,” Kennedy says, “and if they are legally qualified that is especially useful.”

The switch from smart law firm to the charity world might suggest a big culture change but Kennedy says that the calibre, professionalism and commitment of those working in charities is just as high as in City practice. “The big difference is in what they are working for,” she says. For more go to www.z2k.org

Russell Lewin

On a more sombre note I regret to report the death of Russell Lewin, a Baker & McKenzie partner who had run the firm’s London office from 1998 to 2003.

I wrote a couple of months ago about how Baker & McKenzie had transformed its status over two decades into a leading power in London and around the globe. Russell (with whom I had enjoyed entertaining lunches) had played an outstanding role in that successful progression, having overseen the doubling in size of the London business while in charge.

Beyond that, however, he was one of those solid, fair-minded and decent British characters who bring so much to international groups. It was entirely characteristic that he was a trustee of the Social Mobility Foundation. Vale.

edward.fennell@yahoo.co.uk

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