“There are two people to whom you must tell the truth — your solicitor and your clap doctor.” Such was the advice of Lord Goodman, Harold Wilson’s solicitor and one of the most feared lawyers of his generation. But despite the reverence in which Goodman is still held by many in the legal community, it is a safe bet than none would risk so blunt an exhortation.
Today’s world is very different from that bestrode by colossi of the law such as Goodman, Peter Carter-Ruck, Lord Mishcon, Oscar Beuselinck and Sir David Napley. Love them or loathe them, these were charismatic men who often seemed as well known as their clients.
All spawned eponymous practices, save for Beuselinck, an entertainment lawyer who counted the Rolling