WIGS ON THE GREEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 29 March 1938, Page 10

WIGS ON THE GREEN

LAW REFORM BILL [By Air Mail—From Our Own Correspondent! LONDON, 3rd March. Barristers are anything but grateful to the Lord Chancellor for introducing from the Woolsack the Law Reform Bill. Among other things this measure provides that country courts may try cases up to a claim of £3OO, as against the existing limit of £IOO. As this envisages a big increase in county court work, as shown by the fact that county court judges have had their salaries raised by 25 per cent from £1,500 to £2,000, and solicitors as well as barristers can plead in county courts, the senior branch of the legal fraternity feels that it has a distinct grievance. In fact there is much annoyed discussion of the new Bill in those Temple chambers where barristers sit like Sister Anne, too frequently ejaculating, apropos the man with the briefs, “He cometh not.’’ It may be that some small pickings, in the way of a few new county court judgeships, will temper the legal wind to the shorn Bar, but on a complete audit of pros and cons it is pretty obvious that the solicitors stand to gain and the barristers to lose on this change.