The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.
Gustave Flaubert

Saturday, 12 March 2011

A competition? No, a token of my appreciation

A friend remarked the other day that the Dictionary should be cited in legal proceedings - and not just because someone takes exception to something I have written. So, I will give a bottle of Champagne to the first barrister (or other advocate - but not a judge) to secure for it a mention in a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction (not just in England and Wales) which is published online. Not a tribunal, hearing in the IPO or anything like that.

Of course, professional ethics surely dictate that to refer to it in court merely with an eye to a prize would be improper. The judge will act as a filter, of course, so if it is cited one can assume the citation is valid and objective - the gift of the bottle will be a token of my appreciation, not a prize.

The quality of the Champagne will be entirely dependent on how well, in my absolute discretion, sales of the book are going.

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