“It just didn’t happen” … But will it go away? … Pushing through … Holes in the case … First law officer with an unresolved allegation of rape … Career on hold, but ultimately kaput … Polly Peck on the case 

Prêt à porter … Horse in fetid stable … Rule of Law … Rule of the Jungle … Political imperatives … Statement expected in bold volte face … Polly Peck reports COMMENT: More like inapte à porter

Madges under pressure … NSW’s chief beak Graeme Henson unhappy with slow government response to Local Court crisis … Pleading for more resources on multiple occasions … New appointments filling retirements … 10 more Madges needed … Ginger Snatch reports  COMMENT: URL: For all his commendable efforts, I fault Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson AM for the poor oversight and insufficient discipline in case management in the Local Court of NSW.

I have personally written to the Chief about the wasting of time by failing to appropriate schedule litigants for hearing. Instead of requiring all litigants and their lawyers to show up at 9:30 am and hearing the lawyers first, then the self-reps, with regular interruptions, the Downing Centre could allocate groups to timeslots. There is little respect for litigants' time.

Moreover, magistrates are generally not disposed to deal with complex matters efficiently, using a combination of "kick this to another magistrate" or "let's deal with this after lunch" or "the other side needs more time, I'll grant that adjournment".

This approach pays no respect to the mounting costs litigants pay every 6 minutes, nor to litigants' time.

I have seen similar behaviour in the District Court of NSW.

Personally, given the monotony of Local Court cases, I would have expected that a novel or complex issue might be of interest to a trained legal mind that would otherwise be focused on the question of whether to give a section, section 10 or a big fat fine.

And yet, somehow, the hard cases are required to arrive early, and then made to sit around, waiting for the judicial officer to turn their mind to the question at the end of the day, when natural decision fatigue, physical exhaustion and crankiness has set in.

We can do better, Chief.

Walter Mitty con artist gets lower sentence from the NSW CCA … Ponzi schemer fleeced friends, lovers and whoever else he could get his hands on … Deficient personality … Original sentence excessive and the result of an unbalanced process … Too much judicial emotion … Pep-talk to the media on reporting sentences … Victims still largely penniless … Alan Zheng reports 

Easy leader … Melbourne silk’s dominant brain … Thought processes divided into four categories … Porter’s ball management … AG’s top agenda items for 2021 … The vision splendid … Theodora reports  COMMENT: Any family lawyer who votes liberal after this effort by Porter deserves to be treated as if they are a member of the Vichy French. COMMENT: What is the collective noun for a group of liberal party ministers?
A corruption.

Covid puts a false gloss on chamber’s accounts … Directors in and out … Explanatory memo to members … Creative fiction and negative expenses … Big pile of unpaid floor fees … Refreshments cut 

Grand Poobah judicial snog … Thirst-quenching at fault … Late night knee balancing routine … News from The Map … Photo in circulation … From our Tasmanian affairs correspondent 

Inflated terrace decorations … Here comes “Mandy Jane” … Council of the Order of Australia gets Stoned … Law ‘n’ order at the Top End … Post-Covid life at Vic’s Bar ‘n’ Grill … Theodora does the rounds  COMMENT: The bit where Mr Cremean argues that legal fees will come down if barristers' expenses come down is hilarious.