Those who think that flamboyant lawyers died with George Carman, should look at David Sherborne, Prince Harry’s lawyer in the Daily Mail libel case. Floppy hair, glamorous and with a taste for publicity on the steps of the court. Even he, however, struggled to make Prince Harry’s case interesting, and it felt more like a tennis match between seniors, not at Wimbledon, but in the Albert Hall. The judge could be forgiven for struggling to stay awake with such remarks as “It’s a bit like pin the tail on the donkey, but we are blindfolded and there is very little…
Costs of living rocketing prices are driving more divorcing couples to end up in court with figures at a 15 year high – 49,067. This is the highest since 2010. Figures have jumped since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with growing anxiety about financial security. Let us hope the Iran war ends soon. April 2026 Rodney Hylton-Potts
Harleys, a leading “offshore practice” in the city, commemorated International Women’s Day by sending their female staff and female clients, a kitchen appliance, namely a pink ice cream maker. This did not go down well. Their “valued female leaders, friends, clients and colleagues” made sure the decision backfired, by asking if they could have an upgrade on a Dyson vacuum cleaner and whether a washing up brush might be offered as well! A lady partner hit back by saying she was working on a full house cleaning kit for husbands, to be sent out as a gift on Mother’s Day.…
The government’s proposed jury reforms means that findings of guilt in cases resulting in prison sentences, will be made by named judges rather than anonymous juries. This results in an immediate threat to that judge’s personal safety. Named judges already are subject to a huge amount of social media abuse. Further, these judges will sit at one centre rather than moving around the country like a High Court Judge and will use the same court entrance and exit, as members of the public and no doubt aggrieved families. The risk is obvious, but the government seems blind to it. Rodney…
We hear a lot about it, including the rule of international law. What is it? It means we are seeking to support open justice and access to fair justice for all. We try to protect the fundamental rights of all and try to persuade States to exercise proportionate and accountable power over their citizens in good faith. In Nazi Germany, a ‘knock on a door’ meant that many, usually Jews, disappeared. That still happens in large parts of the world. In Britain, everybody is subject to law, including the police, MI5 and even Andrew Mountbatten -Windsor and Peter Mandelson. Internationally, the…
The new Court Bill is madness. The idea is to get far more trials heard by the Magistrates and to extend their sentencing powers. They will be overwhelmed. There are not enough Magistrates now, especially with the ridiculous 70 retirement age. There will be appeals to the Crown Court, retrials and all the extra cases and many more because of their increased sentencing powers. The only solution is more money and most people think there is no prospect of getting that more money for Defence, NHS or education or anything else, until we cut the huge burgeoning benefit bill. March…
PM Law solicitors, operated 24 branches stretching from Yorkshire to Kent. Stealing clients’ funds is, apart from being a serious crime, utterly despicable as many of the clients have no other funds. In this case somebody has stolen £1 million of clients’ money One solicitor I met said that the clients’ funds that he had stolen had only been about £30,000.00. I discovered later he had stolen from the Church! February 2026 Rodney Hylton-Potts
Ghanem Al-Masarir is a Saudi national living in Britain critical, of the Saudi royal family. His phone was hacked and he was put under surveillance, but worse he was beaten up outside Harrods on 31 August 2018 by agents of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian government failed in their attempt to claim state immunity. A High Court Judge in London ordered the Saudis to pay him over £3 million damages mainly for loss of earnings. The next phase. Collection? Could be fun. Rodney Hylton-Potts February 2026
Sir Brian Leveson, a senior judge, has made recommendations. Try these: Prison vans going to court, can use bus lanes. Unless the victim wants the prisoner there, he or she, can be sentenced remotely via prison link. The police would no longer have to redact personal data, e.g. immigration status before sending files to the Crown Prosecution Service. Professional witnesses should be able to give evidence via video link. Lawyers should be able to email judges on administrative matters. Why did it take many months of expensive investigation to come up with these blindingly obvious solutions. February 2026 Rodney Hylton-Potts
We know that Andrew has taken legal advice from a Woking solicitor. We do not know whether his office is near the famous Pizza Hut. We can be certain the advice is not visit America or give sworn testimony before Congress, which could result in a perjury charge. Like any defendant, whatever you think of him, Andrew is entitled to legal advice and would be unwise to ignore it. It is therefore a disgrace that the Prime Minister attempts to breach his rights. Whatever you think of Andrew, by putting him under huge public scrutiny also no doubt in future…
