Great news, but now that he is a fully fledged Judge he will be subject to the scrutiny of the press and the public gaze; and the heavy duties and responsibilities of his new job mean that sadly for us we will no longer have the benefit of his eloquent and learned posts here in JB.
You'll be missed around here, Tudor. Well done again and best of luck in your new appointment
What, no tea or coffee breaks? If true about your soon absence thank you for all of your insightful posts and the calm voice of reason in this non-intellectual vast waste land known as Jet Blast.
Granite Monolith
By coincidence, someone accused me of ‘looking down’ on him only a few weeks ago – a defendant with a long history of mental health problems facing trial for murder. He added, as he dispensed with my services, that I was useless – which some might say showed that his mental health problems weren’t quite as severe as the medics thought. (He was, in due course, convicted of murder.)
I see you haven't posted much. I hope in time you enjoy PPRuNe as much as I have.
Thank you all so much for your (far too) generous comments; they’ve meant a lot to me.
After two years flying Chipmunks in the University of London Air Squadron (when the picture posted by BEagle was taken), it was a difficult choice between continuing with my original plans and applying to the RAF. Although I've loved my time at the Bar, I think I would have been just as happy as a professional pilot. Luckily, my aviation practice has enabled me to combine both interests - although I can't help notice that friends who went the RAF-BA route have either recently retired on handsome pensions or will do so in the next few years so maybe I made the wrong choice.
Being sacked by that defendant deprived me of finishing my career at the Bar with one final murder trial, and meant a case I did in a magistrates court the previous week turned out to be my last. However, for various reasons, I wasn’t disappointed by that. It brought back memories of cutting my teeth around the mags courts more than 30 years ago - a challenging experience for young counsel learning how to defend - and, best of all, we demolished the prosecution witnesses' allegations, won the case and were awarded costs. The thrill was as great as winning my very first case all those years ago - and with the added satisfaction that the client was a professional pilot accused of low flying (in a Hunter). I’m going to miss cross-examining witnesses.
Sir George Cayley (post #11), obviously knows about the case - and that I had a very enjoyable 45 minutes in the Hunter a few weeks later.
I’ve learnt a great deal from PPRuNe over the years which has not only helped my learn more about flying but, on occasions, helped me in aviation litigation cases. I’ve always found professional pilots to be extremely generous with their time when I’ve wanted help, and if I’ve managed to put something back into the pot in legal threads, it's only a small contribution compared with what I've been given.
Sadly, one of the consequences of the new job is that I won’t be able to post about legal matters again. I’ve enjoyed taking part in PPRuNe, and I’m going to miss it.
It's a shame that you'll no longer be able to post about legal matters - to people like me (non legal) your clear interpretation of the points of law, regardless of whether you agree with them, has been enlightening.
Hopefully, you'll still be able to contribute, and have some fun, but under the "Flying Judge" moniker.
Congratulations, Flying Lawyer! Albeit more modest achievement, i just got my quantum physiscs exam out of the way. Nearly a certified physicist, as well as chartered engineer.
A well deserved elevation for one whose objectivity and dogged research has done so much to support aviation law in the United Kingdom, against those who would use it for their political advancement.
On a personal note, make it a goal to fly as many different helicopters as you can. It's a tip I got from PPRuNe and it is amazingly accurate in its perception of the wealth of knowledge and skills that you will gain from each type.
Many congratulations Tudor. We have done the odd case together over the years and flown together at Redhill many years ago.
I hope you enjoy your new appointment and would only add that when you say you will miss cross-examining witnesses I'm sure that is right. Just make sure you do!
The best, and arguably the most enjoyable, way to answer your question would be to recommend that you read John Mortimer's "Rumpole of the Bailey" stories. You'd also learn where most of us who use it picked up the phrase "She Who Must Be Obeyed" - ie not from the original H Rider Haggard.
Linear Mode
