Comments on: Hyman and Doughty Street http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/ The Joy of Housing Law Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:54:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Derek Arbuthnot http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-8042 Derek Arbuthnot Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:57:53 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-8042 This is cobblers. Lawminx is right. We can pity this wanker all we want but the fact is, he was happy for another man to do time because he was stressed. I know how tragic depression and workplace related stress can be as I have seen the consequences in my own family. But trying to destroy someone else takes things to a whole different level. And barristers have an extra special duty to the whole of society not to succomb to this sort of thing. The usual rules of touchy-feely/"it was my upbringing"/"I was stressed"/"It's an addiction" type horseshit *cannot* apply to us. This is cobblers. Lawminx is right. We can pity this wanker all we want but the fact is, he was happy for another man to do time because he was stressed. I know how tragic depression and workplace related stress can be as I have seen the consequences in my own family. But trying to destroy someone else takes things to a whole different level. And barristers have an extra special duty to the whole of society not to succomb to this sort of thing. The usual rules of touchy-feely/”it was my upbringing”/”I was stressed”/”It’s an addiction” type horseshit *cannot* apply to us.

]]> By: contact http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3780 contact Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:59:20 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3780 Trip - granted it seems a little incestuous, but Hyman could afford Kennedy at private rates. I'm not sure where the hypocrisy comes in. 'Rights' aren't reserved for deserving causes. NL Trip - granted it seems a little incestuous, but Hyman could afford Kennedy at private rates. I’m not sure where the hypocrisy comes in. ‘Rights’ aren’t reserved for deserving causes.

NL

]]> By: trip http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3779 trip Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:28:27 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3779 It hasn't been reported that Helena Kennedy--she of none other than Doughty Street Chambers--accepted instructions to act for Hyman. Cab ranks notwithstanding, one would hardly have thought that such a stout defender of rights would have the time. It takes 'hypocrisy' to a whole new level. It hasn’t been reported that Helena Kennedy–she of none other than Doughty Street Chambers–accepted instructions to act for Hyman. Cab ranks notwithstanding, one would hardly have thought that such a stout defender of rights would have the time. It takes ‘hypocrisy’ to a whole new level.

]]> By: Barrister goes to prison « Consilio blog http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3700 Barrister goes to prison « Consilio blog Sun, 30 Sep 2007 07:15:28 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3700 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] recent silence. VM has a take on Freedom of Information which is well worth reading. See also Nearly Legal on the Doughty Street [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%--> Kramer auto Pingback[...] recent silence. VM has a take on Freedom of Information which is well worth reading. See also Nearly Legal on the Doughty Street [...]

]]> By: lawminx http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3690 lawminx Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:03:41 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3690 Can genuine weakness and falibility be genuinely mistaken arrogance? Beleive me, I would be the first in line to offer absolute sympathy if this was really a genuine case of the former, but the reality of it is that this is not the first time Mr Hyman has purposefully sought to do someone down - as per recent comments left on a blog concerning the Works of Douglas Adams ( Hat tip to Ruthie at Ruthies Law the source, the website address of which follows the comment, the latter bieng made by someone calling himself the "Duke of Dunstable"): “Remember this turd? He was chief executive at Above The Title but went barrister. Against all evidence this fellow claimed that he alone was responsible for casting William Franklyn for the follow up phases, when as we all know it was Dirk Maggs who got mr Franklyn onboard, as evidenced by both Dirk and Simon Jones.” http://douglasadams.se/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12728 Can genuine weakness and falibility be genuinely mistaken arrogance? Beleive me, I would be the first in line to offer absolute sympathy if this was really a genuine case of the former, but the reality of it is that this is not the first time Mr Hyman has purposefully sought to do someone down - as per recent comments left on a blog concerning the Works of Douglas Adams ( Hat tip to Ruthie at Ruthies Law the source, the website address of which follows the comment, the latter bieng made by someone calling himself the “Duke of Dunstable”):

“Remember this turd? He was chief executive at Above The Title but went barrister. Against all evidence this fellow claimed that he alone was responsible for casting William Franklyn for the follow up phases, when as we all know it was Dirk Maggs who got mr Franklyn onboard, as evidenced by both Dirk and Simon Jones.”

http://douglasadams.se/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12728

]]> By: A Barrister http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3686 A Barrister Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:52:09 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3686 That's the thing about depression and stress, Lawminx - it impedes your judgment. Sadly, people are weak and fallible, and they get sick. And when they are sick, they don't behave rationally. When that happens, a bit of compassion is in order, don't you think? It is possible to sympathise without in any way condoning the conduct. That’s the thing about depression and stress, Lawminx - it impedes your judgment. Sadly, people are weak and fallible, and they get sick. And when they are sick, they don’t behave rationally. When that happens, a bit of compassion is in order, don’t you think? It is possible to sympathise without in any way condoning the conduct.

]]> By: lawminx http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3685 lawminx Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:19:55 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3685 I personally still have no sympathy for the man. It's as much for him to approach his pupil supervisor with any difficulties he might have been having as it is for the pupil supervisor to ensure that he wasn't out of his depth - isnt supervision a two way street? I personally still have no sympathy for the man. It’s as much for him to approach his pupil supervisor with any difficulties he might have been having as it is for the pupil supervisor to ensure that he wasn’t out of his depth - isnt supervision a two way street?

]]> By: Another barrister http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3684 Another barrister Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:53:09 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3684 I also think that the Doughty Street statement, although no doubt baldly true, raises some unanswered questions. As a pupil, his work should have been supervised by a designated pupil supervisor - even as a third six pupil and a mature entrant to the Bar with a previous successful career. How could his pupil supervisor and other colleagues in chambers fail to have noticed a depression so severe that his judgment became flawed to the extent of not only contemplating, but committing, an imprisonable offence? Surely his pupil supervisor should also have been aware that he had taken on a bitterly-contested case in which he was (a) acting for a close friend and (b) acting outside his broad area of expertise and training, either or both of which factors might lead to professional embarrassment at the very least, and which should have prompted more rather than less guidance from a pupil supervisor. I also think that the Doughty Street statement, although no doubt baldly true, raises some unanswered questions. As a pupil, his work should have been supervised by a designated pupil supervisor - even as a third six pupil and a mature entrant to the Bar with a previous successful career. How could his pupil supervisor and other colleagues in chambers fail to have noticed a depression so severe that his judgment became flawed to the extent of not only contemplating, but committing, an imprisonable offence? Surely his pupil supervisor should also have been aware that he had taken on a bitterly-contested case in which he was (a) acting for a close friend and (b) acting outside his broad area of expertise and training, either or both of which factors might lead to professional embarrassment at the very least, and which should have prompted more rather than less guidance from a pupil supervisor.

]]> By: contact http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3674 contact Thu, 20 Sep 2007 19:12:05 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3674 Hmm. I have seen at close quarters the effects of serious stress and recognise the effects it can have. But, even if one accepts Hyman's actions up to and at the hearing in the family case as having the possible mitigation of severe stress, and also that he resigned from Doughty Street shortly after that hearing, mitigation only goes so far. He did not come forward and make an admission. He left the opponent facing charges and prosecution and only came clean when caught. In a way, it is worse if his resignation from Doughty Street was as a result of his awareness of what he had done, because that suggests that he was fully cognisant of the seriousness of his actions but was still not prepared to clear the father in the case. I think the question about 3rd six pupillage supervision and a duty of care is an interesting one, but I know nothing about 'usual practice' and expectations in that regard, so I'm not going to say anything. Hmm. I have seen at close quarters the effects of serious stress and recognise the effects it can have. But, even if one accepts Hyman’s actions up to and at the hearing in the family case as having the possible mitigation of severe stress, and also that he resigned from Doughty Street shortly after that hearing, mitigation only goes so far. He did not come forward and make an admission. He left the opponent facing charges and prosecution and only came clean when caught.

In a way, it is worse if his resignation from Doughty Street was as a result of his awareness of what he had done, because that suggests that he was fully cognisant of the seriousness of his actions but was still not prepared to clear the father in the case.

I think the question about 3rd six pupillage supervision and a duty of care is an interesting one, but I know nothing about ‘usual practice’ and expectations in that regard, so I’m not going to say anything.

]]> By: lawminx http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3673 lawminx Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:36:43 +0000 http://nearlylegal.co.uk/blog/2007/09/hyman-and-doughty-street/#comment-3673 Try telling that to nurses working in Intensive Care. Try telling that to nurses working in Intensive Care.

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