Daily Diary

Party. Hard

Posted 8/12/2006 by legalweekblogs.com SU

Christmas is a time for cheer, unless you’re a City solicitor - when, of course, it is time for whinging about the office party. The Diary’s personal favourite piece of legal humbug is Stephenson Harwood’s now-legendary decision in 2001 to cancel its festive bash in a move distinguished by its War-balls 9/11 justification.

With Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer currently performance-reviewing everything not nailed down, The Diary is willing to bet the Spitfire Pilots will this year see the tab closed after the second sausage roll come the Fleet Street office bash.

But it is little surprise that the latest outbreak of moaning has come from the hot-bed of anarchy that is the SJ Berwin City command turret, with inside intelligence reaching The Diary that the corporate team’s recent Christmas piss-up was a bit of a rum do.

Key accusations include a tab that closed at the barely-post-watershed time of 10pm, a pitiful turnout (as most of the assistants were reportedly “still billing”) and a controversial no-taxi-expenses policy for the more enduring revellers.

And SJ-watchers will be familiar with the classic 'funds v M&A' motif, with one mole contrasting the party-‘til-dawn-with-the galley-slaves stance of the firm's Mr Deal, Steven “interesting” Davis, with the apparent absence of the fund formation lads.

How much more can the little darlings stand?!

"I didn't have one of those SJ Berwin
assistants in my cab the other day."