How alien a concept is democracy in solicitors’ firms? Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
I do not recall giving much thought to what would now be called the management of the firm which employed me as an articled clerk in the 1950s. Although I solemnly entered into a deed called ‘articles of clerkship’ when I started, which I believe contained mutual obligations, I took for granted that I was at the beck and call of the partners and all the permanent staff. In return, I received a small brown envelope every Friday containing three pound notes, which increased to £8 in my third year—a pittance compared to the earnings of my contemporaries in the City or industry. What justified this exploitation was the unspoken promise that, if we novices behaved ourselves, and worked hard, we would be free to exploit our own articled clerks in their turn.
Things were much the same in other firms: the partners owned the firm, and ran it for their exclusive benefit. Staff were paid the going rate, with a Christmas bonus if
