It’s not a prequel or a remake. And if I say it is a trilogy then be not afeared – it is not some epic Lord of the Rings affair upon which one might spend a portion of one’s own life greater than that spent on the toilet.
It is a trilogy of minute proportions, and with modest aims, claims (and automobiles*).
There are courtroom scenes but (sadly) no Silk or Judge John Deed moments. Rupert Penry Jones may be in my dreams, but is not in my films. Nor does my fiance George Clooney drop onto the set and perform an impromptu Cameo role, like Bob Dylan as Alias in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid.
No. It’s pretty much as Bob has it in Pat Garrett : Line upon line of staple goods, basic essentials: “Beans. beans. spinach. beans…”
Whilst the family law reform gunfight is going down and the dust is swirling I’m just quietly doing my helpful best in the background. Offering humdrum beans to those who will listen….
Alright. I’ll stop (Whilst I blame my shameless over use of metaphor on Bob I acknowledge he carries it off rather better than me).
So. I’ve made some short films for Litigants in Person who are involved in family court disputes (private law). They are available for viewing or to embed or link to on YouTube here (creative commons licence). I’d love to know what you think of them (although you don’t need to tell me they are hardly a substitute for legal representation, I’m well aware of that). More back story on the nofamilylawyer website here. You can read it if you are interested (or not). Yes, there is a connection with the second edition of The Family Courts without a Lawyer – A Handbook for Litigants in Person, and I hope the videos will persuade more people to buy the book, but ultimately they stand alone. Personally, I think they are worth watching just to watch my lipstick change colour between scenes. But I’m a continuity geek.
Ok. This is where I weep whilst clutching my Oscar…And I’d like to thank Bath Publishing, our team of fabby volunteers from St John’s and elsewhere, the court staff at Bristol Civil Justice Centre and Tom Knott (sound) and HouseCat Productions (film) for making this actually happen. And my dad. Who was an ace usher. Especially when he turned up the collar of the usher’s gown and ran around pretending to be a vampire.
* yes, entirely for effect.
And so without further ado here they are:
Video 1
Video 2
video 3
Excellent videos! I think if Joshua leaves Law in Action, you should consider applying…..
ha ha!
When does Lucy Go To Hollywood?
And what’s with the DJ-surrogate in the bow-tie?
Joking apart that was impressive and should help some of the poor b*ggers whom the World after LASPO leaves to sink or swim by themselves.
the DJ-surrogate in the bow-tie is Christopher Sharp QC, who gave up his Saturday only to be demoted to a DJ! Respec!
Hi – really enjoyed the videos and think they will be useful to LIPs.
I noticed at 4:01 in the 3rd video a post-it-note is used with the tip “speak to the judge”. When I was represented in court proceedings the barrister mentioned that this was commonly thought of as the usual advice to give but not to worry if more naturally I addressed my answers to the examining barrister, which I did in my case.
Is it not more unnatural to answer a question by giving the response to a different person? Would judges really take a view on this?
I
It is more unnatural, but it is helpful to the judge to be able to hear and see your answer clearly. It is the judge who has to assess your evidence. It is also easier for a witness being asked annoying or upsetting questions to keep calm and answer clearly without getting into an argument if not having to make eye contact with the questioner.
But nobody is going to criticise a witness for slipping into responding to the person asking the question – it often happens, because as you say it is the normal and natural way to answer a question.
It’s a suggestion rather than a rule.
Very useful films. We’ll be linking to them from Advicenow.
Great to hear that Mary. Glad they are useful.