Obiter has definitely spotted a trend of judges adding a touch of stylistic vim to the opening sentences of their rulings.

While these judgments are never anything but thorough, we get the impression that some members of the bench enjoy teeing up the main event with a few bons mots.

Lord Justice Coulson is the latest to add a touch of gloss, with a darkly humorous aside in the wordcount-busting Goknur Gida Maddeleri Enerji Imalet Ithalat Ihracat Ticaret Ve Sanayi AS v Aytacli in the Court of Appeal.

He began: ‘For those who believe that most civil litigation does not end up being about the costs that were incurred in pursuing that same litigation in the first place, look away now.’

It’s a fine example of the introduction with a flourish, and we’re all for it. Although perhaps judges should be wary of trying to stop litigation about costs: these cases seem to be providing a fair proportion of their work.

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