Bon Vivant

Chance meetings produce a traditional Christmas  

‘Revenge is profitable; gratitude is expensive.’ – Edward Gibbon 

Edited by: Ros Burnett
Publisher: Oxford University Press (2016)
Format: Hardcover 336pp 
​ISBN: 9780198723301 

Author: Philippe Sands
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (2016)
Format: Hardcover 496pp and e-book
​ISBN: 9781474601900 

Law confidential?  

'A secret spoken finds wings'  – Robert Jordan, The Path of Daggers   

Following the capsizing uncertainty generated by Brexit, the general public and businesses are increasingly looking for answers. No surprise, then, that the Bar has become a rich source of reliable and politically neutral information on a wide range of complex legal issues, deciphering events as they happen. Counsel brings you the cream of the Brexit Bar blog crop  

A critically acclaimed exhibition of a death row inmate’s life’s art has travelled from Arkansas to Temple Church. Samantha Knights explains Kenneth Reams’ journey  

Kenneth Reams sits in a tiny room working on an installation in readiness for the opening of his art exhibition in Little Rock, Arkansas.  

HHJ Philip Bartle QC reviews a dramatic and confident Bar Choral Society Performance of The Creation at Middle Temple Hall  

The magnificent sixth concert of the Bar Choral Society (BCS) on 16 November 2016 was in Middle Temple Hall – the first not performed in Temple Church.  

Buy excellent-value wines sharpish before the New Year/Brexit price rises, advise Counsel’s own wine critics Seán Jones QC and Professor Dominic Regan  

This is the time to buy as many bottles as you can afford!  

It all depends on point of view  

‘The Bible tells us to love our neighbours, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.’ – G. K. Chesterton 

While pro bono work is a significant part of how the Bar gives back to society, over a third of barristers volunteer for charity work outside their profession. Haresh Sood inspires with some alternative ways of giving  

We all see and hear of people doing charity runs, walks and triathlons for a number of causes, which is a valuable source of fundraising.