Serving the Public / Serving the Machine
''An honest public servant can't become rich ...'' - President Harry Truman, judge. Legal quote of the year so far comes from a senior counsel, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Irish Times. He (I can safely assume) said that Judge Mary Irvine's guidelines to slash minor personal injuries awards were ''Treason, as far as I'm concerned. What she has done amounts to treason against the Bar''. Based on my experience, the quote is an accurate representation of the dominant barrister mindset. I like to believe that there are good people in every walk of life and that they will find a way to make a difference. That is why I was very disappointed to hear that the President of the High Court Judge Mary Irvine was being replaced by Judge David Barniville. Despite his relative youth, Barniville has been prominent among the (commercial...