A Linklaters associate and trainee caused a security alert at Lyon airport last weekend when flying back from their work ski trip.

The trainee, for reasons unknown, had packed a musical teddy bear which was picked up as a potential bomb by a security scanner. He was held at security, while his colleague with whom he was travelling was escorted off the plane. Both were questioned by police, an area of the airport was cleared and the plane was held while its seats were dismantled and searched. Crikey.

A Linklaters lawyer yesterday

Eventually the bomb squad confirmed it was a harmless toy (apparently a fluffy animal holding a pair of skis) rather than an ursine incendiary device, and the lawyers were released without charge. Although by then the flight had departed, leaving them stranded in France.

Linklaters doesn't have a lot of luck with continental airports. One of the firm's top partners found himself charged with tax evasion in 2011 after failing to declare a pair of leather trousers at Dusseldorf Airport.

A spokesman for the firm said "this was clearly an unfortunate event and symptomatic of these security conscious times".