Tilii - thanks for advising me how to behave as a 'new boy'. I have actually been here for years under a different guise - I could not get back on when they changed the software.
Anyway, we appear to have strayed from the original post. We look like we divide into 2 camps - those that love the legal beagles and those that don't. I don't! My reasons are very simple - I love justice and I hate political correctness. DA made excellent points in his posts that were very rudely dealt with - but there again the truth always hurts. I know for a fact that every major profession (and nowhere is this more true than among lawyers) makes sure that discreet inquiries are made about potential employees. As another excellent contributor has written, anything that contributes to safety in our industry is a good thing. And no, I am not advocating some masonic black-balling system (loads of lawyers among them as well!). What I am advocating is the right to make sensible enquiries that result in the right people getting the job. By right people, I mean the best candidates in terms of ability, character and suitablity from the would-be employer's point of view. Otherwise we are back to the bad old days of women-only shortlists and other similar injustices.