Tulkinghorn: Reed Smith’s Creationists

A bunch of lawyers at the firm have been working in ­collaboration with arts charity Create to transform a community centre in Southwark for adults with learning disabilities. 

The hall and lounge area at Bede House in Bermondsey was ­transformed earlier this month using designs ­created by adults from the centre and volunteers from Reed Smith. The firm funded the project and provided around 20 ­volunteers on 11 and 12 November to carry out the ­legwork.

Chris Marshall, senior pro bono and community manager at Reed Smith, said the project provided an opportunity for the firm to engage with the local community, “a core ­commitment for us as a business”. Is that a ‘moot’ point?

Courtly on ­camera

Tulkinghorn learnt this week that he should be ­forever indebted to Old Square Chambers’ John Hendy QC.

You may be wondering if it’s the ­sudden discovery of a love for trade union law that has made the great man such an admirer of the esteemed barrister, but alas no: Tulkinghorn is still to be found ­travelling first-class while sipping a fine wine.

In fact, Tulkinghorn enjoys nothing more than relaxing with a glass of sherry in front of the box. At these junctures he can sometimes be found ­dusting down his old video box sets of the TV show Kavanagh QC (and after all, Mrs Tulkinghorn always did have a soft spot for the late John Thaw).

It turns out that Hendy provided some of the ­inspiration for the ­character.

One likes to think of Kavanagh as a purveyor of the truth, upholding ­justice in the face of ­adversity - much like ­Tulkinghorn himself.

Welcome to the club Mr Hendy (but stay away from the missus).

Teabaggers

The great and the good turned out last week for the Human Rights Watch breakfast being held at Freshfields. ­Macfarlanes’ Charles ­Martin, Slaughters’ Chris Saul, Ashursts’ ­Charlie Geffen and ­Nabarros’ Simon Johnston, along with various people from Justice, were all in ­attendance (as was ­Tulkinghorn, lurking at the back).

At the gathering ­beforehand most of the talk was particularly high-powered. Most of it revolved around praising the excellent organic herbal tea, which was so chunky (pre-brewed, of course) that Martin claimed it would be best put between a couple of Rizlas.

Meanwhile, Saul was so taken with it that he ­actually took a spare teabag back with him.
For drinking, apparently.

Comply with me

Could there be anything more dull than a ­compliance awards ­dinner? Even the words fill ­Tulkinghorn with dread and fear. But a recent event of this nature attended by Shearman & Sterling ­London managing partner Anthony Ward was ­anything but dull.

As he searched in vain for ­sessions on ‘compliance responsibilities’, ‘avoiding litigation’ and ‘the ­changing regulatory ­environment’, Ward found himself ­surrounded by a bevy of non-lawyer types, many of whom were absurdly ­glamorous and who appeared to be ­wearing sashes.

“I’d mistakenly gone into the wrong room,” admitted Ward. “I think they were holding Miss World.”

Shipp in shape

Sprecher Grier Halberstam (SGH) managing partner Emma Shipp is nothing if not dedicated.

She was in New York recently for a meet-and-greet with a raft of referral firms.

Having jetted in the ­previous night from a West Coast meeting of Legus, the international law firm network SGH recently joined, Shipp’s body clock was all over the place, so she decided to go for an early morning run through ­Central Park - as you do.

“We had back-to-back meetings scheduled all day, but I thought if I got out early, while it was still dark, I could have myself a little quiet run to wake up before my breakfast ­meeting,” explained Shipp.

Clearly Shipp was ­unfamiliar with the New York working day. Central Park at 6am - even mid-winter - was packed with joggers. Still, it was good practice for the typical New York day of a dozen meetings back-to-back. Presumably Shipp jogged between them.