There's nothing even tangentially legal about this blog. But my kid brother played at the Albert Hall yesterday, it's not often that one gets a chance to say that, and I'd like to give him a shout.

He's called James, he's a concert pianist, and he's a phenomenon. The first classical artist to be signed by Warner Bros, he's performed around the world and has been all over the TV. In London he's played at the Barbican, the Festival Hall and yesterday to a sold out Elgar Room at the Albert Hall.

His schtick is to wear scruffy jeans, chat about the music, tell a few jokes, be a bit sweary. He's got some good patter - "I've never understood the point of encores. It's rather like leaving the office and have your boss run after you shouting 'you've had such a great day at work - how about one more email?'". He worked in a line about Led Zeppelin because Jimmy Page had tipped up to watch him. Which is appropriate for someone who, on a good day, can pass for a bit of a rocker himself.


And his music is sublime, to my ear particularly when he focuses on the more introspective Beethoven and Bach rather than the tub-thumping Rachmaninov and Chopin. I sat there listening to the pastoral sonata, crying like a bitch, and felt proud and envious in equal measure. How fantastic to be able to make your living by doing something you love and bringing happiness to thousands of people. Lawyers, more than anyone, will relate to this. There are countless of us who are outstanding musicians but have given up performing because the demands of the job make practicing simply impossible.

The life of a concert pianist is generally pretty unglamorous - Jimmy spends six hours a day hunched over a Steinway, drinking coffee and eating cigarettes. And I have a great job. I meet interesting and intelligent people every day, work with a great team, and have a lot of fun building a product I love. But yesterday evening all I could wish was to have but a fraction of his talent. Go Jimmy.


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Midlands firm Shakespeares is merging with Leicester-based Marrons. Crazy name, crazy guys...

Marrons is a boutique planning and environmental firm with six partners. The announcement should be made later this afternoon, you heard it here first.

Hmmm. Marrons.

Rumours abound of other Shakespeares mergers in the pipeline. Watch this space.
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Insiders have told RollOnFriday that DWF is planning another round of redundancies.

This is apparently on top of the 99 staff put at risk a couple of months ago. Teams under sonsultation include banking, banking ltitgation, property repossessions and insolvency. Spookily enough, some of these teams contain only legacy Cobbetts staff...

A DWF lawyer next week

The firm got absolutely panned by its staff following the last round; it's likely to get a similar pasting this time. More to follow in Friday's edition.


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Thanks to the reader who suggested that we Google BN11 3DT - the postcode for the superbly-named Worthing firm Coole & Haddock.

One of the rather lovely Georgian windows appears to be precariously wedged open by a large lever-arch file:


Which presumably doesn't contain any client papers, given the firm's duty of confidentiality and the risk of the documents fluttering confetti-like into the street...


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Berwin Leighton Paisner is believed to be putting more than 50 lawyers and up to 50 PAs at risk of redundancy.

Conversations are being had with staff right now, and the firm won't yet comment. More details to follow.

Bad, bad news from a really good firm that should have been able to avoid this sort of thing.
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