Chapter 2

After all these years it is strange to look back and realise how innocent young men and women were in those days, certainly in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere different attitudes may prevail. The French certainly seemed to have lost their innocence, as did the young in the States. Here in these islands our leaders believed in strict censorship of films and restrictions to keep the masses in line. We treated women with deference and courtesy. Part of that creed was that your young lady's father needed to know with what sort of young man his daughter was associating. My introduction to Chrissie's parents was a more an interview than I would have imagined. Mr. Ames knew of my parents and didn't view them kindly. He was a bank manager and believed that anyone who espoused socialist principles, as my father did, was probably a secret communist; and therefore schemed to bring the establishment down. My dad was not a revolutionary, but a simple direct socialist. He believed that his work was just as important to the business as that of the Managing Director. Dad also believed in negotiation but was quick to advocate strike action if the management failed to concede. Mr. Ames, because of his position saw himself as one of the establishment, part of that edifice that enriched our culture and enshrined respect across all classes of the population, provided that they knew and kept their place. He questioned me keenly on my politics, which at that time were unformed. With my observation that it was only by education and experience of the world could anyone decide on such principles, he warmed to me and practically beamed when he learned from Chrissie my intention of studying Law at university in order to become a barrister. From that moment on, I had his approval to see Chrissie. I did explain that it would not be often, as I had to apply myself to my studies. He nodded gravely. "You are perfectly correct, young man. Study and get your degree. There is plenty of time later for socializing."

Years later I realized that I did then what barristers do all the time. I persuaded Mr. Ames to see all the positives in the same way that I persuaded juries to look at the evidence that favoured my client. I wasn't deceiving him as my course work was quite a load and I had little time for seeing Chrissie. She understood completely and never put pressure on me to take her out when she knew I should be studying. What I didn't know at that time was that she and her mother were just as industrious in getting together Chrissie's bottom drawer. With her father's approval of me, it appears that Chrissie, with her mother's tacit agreement had determined that she would be my bride. The bottom drawer was of course their getting together all the linen and other items that Chrissie would need to set up house. The term 'bottom drawer' was a euphemism as no single drawer would be commodious sufficient to hold all the items that they considered important. It is understood that the intended husband knew nothing of this. The intended husband now set about the most intense period of study that he had ever experienced.

I had applied for a grant when I was accepted at Birmingham, which was reviewed every year. If my results were not good enough, I would lose the grant. I needed a good degree covering Administrative and Public Law, Crime, Tort, Contract, Land Law, European Law and Trusts. In addition, I had to study the English Legal system and Jurisprudence. The three years at University seemed endless. I had interviewed with a Chambers in Birmingham who offered me what was termed as an unpaid mini pupillage, in essence, I was getting to know how Chambers were administered, reading Briefs and looking up precedents that would help the barrister present his case. In addition, I had joined a university debating society in order to gather experience of marshalling my argument and becoming accustomed to public speaking.

Sadly, all this left me with little time for Chrissie yet she never complained. My parents were supporting me with board and lodging and dad would on occasions drop a couple of quid to me. Despite this, my pockets were usually empty and on those occasions I could see Chrissie it was rare that I could take her out. We spent many an evening sitting together under the watchful eye of her father and mother watching television. It was almost a semi-climax when I got my degree, a semi climax as I now had another year taking the Bar Vocational Course. I had to apply for membership of one of the Inns of Court and joined the Inner Temple. Membership entails attending twelve seminars of tutorial followed by formal dinners in the twelve months of the BVQ. This was a problem as I did not have a Dinner Jacket and had no funds from my allowance to buy or rent. Mr. Ames came to the rescue, he had just bought a new suit so would give me his old one. At six foot two inches, he was taller and more generous around the waist than I was, so Chrissie set about altering the trousers to fit. She did a good job although the seat designed for her father's rather full backside hung baggy on my much slimmer frame, but she demurred at altering the jacket. "I'm sorry, Clem. I can do simple sewing jobs but the jacket needs tailoring. Why don't you fill the inside pockets with folded paper, it would at least make you look less like a pea rattling around inside a pod." That is what I did. It worked ... sort of.

The BVQ and the seminars taught me much about barristers operated and the law. The dinners were more about how barristers related to other barristers and I learned a lot, getting to know the etiquette of formal dining; which as the son of a Tool Maker was foreign to me; practising the lessons, I had learned in the debating society and making contacts for my future life. I made one mistake when being introduced to a Q.C., a Mr. James Wolstenhome. I offered my hand to shake. He took it and then told me. "On this occasion I will take your hand. After you are called to the Bar never again. Barristers do not shake hands. We are supposed to know each other." I never made that mistake again. However, he remembered me when I completed the BVQ. graduating with a good mark and I applied to be called to the Bar, I was able to recruit him as a Master of the Bar to propose me. I was called for Trinity night in July and duly presented myself at the Temple Church, with my dark suit, white wing-tip collar and bands. Bands are the two tapes that hang from the collar instead of a tie; I had to buy those before the ceremony although the gown was provided by the Inner Temple. Chrissie and my father had come down to London as my guests and after the ceremony I could see them bursting with pride. The Temple also loaned me a Horsehair wig for the almost obligatory photograph, a photo that Chrissie treasured and which still sits in pride of place in our home.

Even after being called to the Bar, the fledgling barrister has much to learn and embarks on another twelve months working in Chambers. This period is known as Pupillage. I was lucky to intern for my pupillage with the set I had worked at during my stint in University. There usually are more barristers called to the Bar than vacancies for pupillage offered by Chambers, so it was fortuitous that I was a known quantity, moreover I was being paid, the first income of my life. I knew the Barristers who had rooms there and more importantly, I got on well with the clerk. Barristers are self-employed and the usual pattern is that they combine in a set, sharing the costs of the premises, known as Chambers. The senior clerk is the driving force in a set. He is the one who cultivates the solicitors, gets referrals, matches Briefs with the talents of the barristers in the set and collects the fees. He is also self-employed taking a commission from the fees he collects. Good clerks tend to become very wealthy. I would not be in Court arguing a case for at least six months, and for the second six months I would only appear as a junior in Court, shuffling the files (called the bundle) to present my lead barrister with the notes that he needed. A Senior barrister would be selected as the pupil's mentor, which in practice meant that the pupil would be that barrister's slave; working all hours researching precedents and odd points of Law that could be used in court. The pupil would also double as tea boy. My day would usually start at seven in the morning and end very often after midnight. I was eventually deemed competent to appear at Magistrates Court. All charges in the UK are first made in the magistrate's court. The accused had to be there but apart from confirming his/her identity would say little. When we knew that the case would be sent to the Crown Court, his solicitor would occasionally ask for a barrister to appear to plead for bail. Sometimes the solicitor was disappointed when I turned up to take on this task. I would like to say that I succeeded every time. Unfortunately on many occasions I wasn't up to the task. I made mistakes and left the fray bloody but not unbowed However I learned; overcame the nerves and got some things right, finding favour with the solicitor and my lead barrister. More importantly I found favour with the clerk of the chambers.

Mr. Ames took me to one side one day when I had called to see Chrissie. "Clem. I have been speaking to one of my accounts holders, who is a barrister and from what he has told me it appears that your outlay is quite onerous at this time of your career with income lacking quite a long way behind expenditure. Is that so?"

"It is quite a burden, Mr. Ames."

"That's what I thought, Clem. Now I would like to make a suggestion. Open an account with my bank and I will allow you an overdraft for such expenses that your income cannot cover."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Ames."

He gave a little smile. "Clem, you have a good future before you. Banks like customers who put in more than they take out. We use their money to make millions whilst paying them a pittance in interest. So perhaps kindness is the wrong word. However I suspect that you will at some stage become my son-in-law, so it's as much about help for Christine as you."