A drop in the ocean

These pages regularly feature tales of the charity and generosity that feature so prominently at some of the legal market's top firms. Tulkinghorn has lost count of the thousands of pounds raised by some of the UK's finest legal brains.

So when he received a press release last week from DLA Piper, gently inquiring whether Tulkinghorn might be able to "do anything with this short piece of news", he was only too happy to oblige.

"A team from DLA Piper has raised over £200 for the charity Land Aid after taking part in a fun run on 14 May 2006," trilled the release. £200? Was that a typo? Surely they meant £2,000, or even £20,000? £200,000 might be pushing it, even if we are talking about "one of the world's top five law firms".

But no. A call to check confirmed that DLA Piper, with gross fees for 2005-06 of pushing £1bn, had raised "over £200" for charity. £205, perhaps? £210? There are partners at DLA Piper who spend more than that on their bar bill. At lunchtime. Probably in a single round.

Still, its lame performance is only slightly worse than Scottish firm Tods Murray, which took advantage of a recent and truly hideous 'Wear a Kilt to Work' day to raise money for charity. And try and raise its profile in the process.

Showing admirable restraint, the firm donated a whole pound for every member of the firm to Marie Curie Cancer Care. Or around £400.