There was an article in The Times recently telling us that a report had discovered "lavish parties, trips to the races and seats at Wimbledon have become common ploys by barristers seeking to woo solicitors ...". The Bar Standards Board was concerned that lavish entertainment might be "bringing the profession into disrepute".
I think it is typical of our out-dated and backward looking institutions, which presently govern the Bar, that they should worry about this sort of thing. They would be far better occupied, in my opinion, in ensuring that only good barristers are allowed to practise, and in making sure that the skill of advocacy is valued. Personally, I would scrap all the old-established institutions related to the Bar, and replace them with an outside regulatory body which applies the principles of legality, honesty and decency with a commercial emphasis.
As a matter of fact, I am worried about corporate entertainment, but for completely different reasons.
Does it really work, or are we wasting our money? We have been marketing directly to solicitors for many years, and we do "corporate events", as do many other barristers, but I suspect that they are not sufficiently focussed.
I would have thought that we should all try to find out what individual clients/solicitors really like doing, and then see whether we can provide a form of entertainment which meets that need. By doing that, we could be developing friendships which would become the foundation of good teams. Litigation managed by an effective team, knowing each other well and working together, is far more likely to be successful.
I wonder what others think? Of course there is the argument that barristers should not do this sort of thing, but no-one seems to explain why not. Why would it bring the Bar into disrepute? Naturally, if a barrister entertains in a way which is not appropriate, that might be frowned on, but then that should be so in any other profession.