He is a relatively new judge, but very experienced in his field,' says Nabarro Nathanson litigator Jennifer Rickard, 'so he was able to appraise the arguments and weigh them up much more quickly. Judges don't need to be an Einstein, but common sense is considered an important attribute. He's not the world's greatest academic,' says another, 'but he is a very good judge of people. Particularly irksome to counsel and solicitors are judges who still refuse to read their papers. When court time is so scarce and expensive, it is difficult to excuse judges who do not even fulfil the basic requirements.
Litigants are highly appreciative of well-prepared judges.
He read the material that people asked him to read, and very thoroughly, so court time was much reduced,' he says. Don't forget the judgment Some judges seem to forget that litigants actually want a judgment. Having spent years waiting to get to full trial, to have to wait yet another year, or longer, can be devastating. He gave a really good judgment,' conceded one litigator, 'but it took 15 months to get it. He worked out two pages a month.