Oh dear. When it comes to poetic talent, all we can say is that Gazette readers must be very good lawyers.

Before the summer break (30 July) Obiter asked readers for rhymes to counter a will-writing business’s dire ditty on solicitors’ bills. Readers responded with enthusiasm. But entrants seemed to find it difficult to break away from the original will/bill rhyme: ‘Without a proper Will, There’ll be a hefty bill!’, was a typical contribution. Another reader managed a double couplet: 

   Feeling the pinch?

   Law is a cinch!

   But be careful not to fail;

   Else you may end up in jail.

Several readers found inspiration in the limerick form, though not all were printable. The best effort came from Emma Harris: 

   There once was a bloke from Redhill

   Who thought he would write his own will

   Tragedy struck

   He was hit by a truck

   Now his family have a huge probate bill

Alas, as a Law Society colleague, Emma doesn’t get a prize. After much consideration, that goes to Peter Clarke who, while listening to the cricket, came up with the simple but striking: 

   The Law is an ass

   And so am I

   I will do my own Will

   And never die.

Immortal words (sic).

 

 

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