The President of the High Court, Justice Freddie Morris, has apologised to "windbag lawyers", although he never called them that in the first place. At the presentation of parchments to new solicitors in Blackhall Place last December he said that the length of litigation actions was spiralling out of control and cases were taking up to five times as long to run as they did a few years ago. More and more barristers and solicitors, he said, believed they were only giving value to their clients if they spoke in court for prodigious lengths of time, referred to numerous authorities and presented lengthy affidavits, which meant a two- or three-day case took two or three weeks.
Back at the Law Society for a similar ceremony earlier this month, the judge said the publicity was not in keeping with the moderate terms of his remarks. He never used the phrase "windbag lawyers". He didn't intend to criticise any particular lawyer and if it was interpreted as such he unreservedly apologised.
Quidnunc is at: rholohan@irish-times.ie