I’m always asked to review At A Glance by the publishers, Class Legal. It makes me chuckle when it turns up because it’s the same every year apart from the colour – so what do I say? This year is a fetching shade of lifeboat purple. I like it very much (I do, for what that’s worth).

Most family practitioners know of it, it’s reputation for being mighty handy to have in your suitcase, and anyone who does any money work buys it already – none of which makes a review seem desperately urgent. But I do feel a little guilty that each year the hopeful At A Glance people send me my free review copy with a polite letter, and every year I stick it on my shelf and fail to review it (in truth I have a whole host of things in the queue for review but I think At A Glance gets to jump the queue this one time because its quick to review and they get points for persistence).

So, what can I tell you about the 2016-17 edition other than it’s colour? Well, since the last time I thumbed one the paper has got thinner, but the thickness overall has stayed pretty static. There are many many more numbered tabs (its up to 29 now) and so I conclude this book has MORE USEFUL STUFF IN IT.  This is good.

The Preface contains an amusant reference to Ambridge and the “rather annoying” stabby Helen (personally I’m not sure how the adjective “annoying” distinguishes her from any other character in “The Bloody Archers” as it is lovingly known in our house. Incidentally, the editors suggest as at the time of writing (April) that there will be care proceedings in Ambridge – they are not right on that one so far. but I digress (as does the Preface)). This Ambridge opening segues seamlessly into a discussion of the controversy concerning the hearing of financial remedy cases in public and there then follows a gay skip through the long grass of several financial remedy hot topics, a propos of nothing….

The loss of much loved tables *snigger* on car running costs is noted, and the introduction of new and exciting sounding tables such as Income Tax and National Insurance Marginal Deductions which (it says here) “illustrates the overall impact on gross earnings from employment once ravaged by these two imposts*”. This review is a reminder of how a few years without doing much money work can cause an atrophy of the financial remedy parts of the brain because I’ve no idea what that means. However, At A Glance is a lifesaver for judges and lawyers alike – and I suspect (say it quietly) a few sensible McKenzie friends. It surely represents a modest investment for having a wealth of information at one’s fingertips, and the ability to wave it around knowledgeably to create the illusion of knowing-what-you-are-doing-ness. There are tables on all the usual, helpful things – child support figures, housing costs, company cars, RPI, interest base rates, tax (various), gross salary compared to net income, pensions etc…And I see a useful few pages on social security benefits which I think is new-ish or at any rate vastly expanded from the old days when I used to have regular recourse to At A Glance.

Section 27 on procedure is a useful aide memoire – and might well be useful to those who are in person, unbundling or using a mckenzie, as would the extracts from relevant statutes and procedure rules.

So, it’s a thumbs up from me. As usual, it is well worth the £60. Details of how to purchase and bulk discounts can be found on the FLBA website here.

*who knew, it means “a tax or similar compulsory payment“. I had thought it was a typo for “imposter”! You learn something every day…