Lawyers share humorous tales of clients' misdeeds

Amid the season of goodwill, lawyers took to Twitter to regale their peers with tales of client misadventures.

Using the hashtag #freelegaltips, solicitors and barristers provided their fellow Twitter users with an insight into some of their most peculiar legal-related experiences. Irrespective of their truth, they delivered some much-needed humour after what was a gruelling 2016.

Tim Burrows, an advocate and solicitor at Steven Young and Company, described how one defendant was excused from court to attend his father's funeral but was arrested for shoplifting on the same day '“ with his father.

Elsewhere in criminal proceedings, public barrister Matthew Stanbury of Garden Court North Chambers issued the following warning: 'When arrested for an assault, don't say 'I never stabbed anyone' when the police haven't yet told you it was a stabbing.'

Professional negligence barrister Zoe Saunders of St John's Chambers offered some sage advice for witnesses keen to prove their honesty. 'Do not offer to drop your trousers in the witness box to demonstrate your inability to provide a hair sample for testing,' she wrote.

Meanwhile, family specialist Lucy Reed, also of St John's Chambers, pointed out how not to address members of the court. 'Don't call the judge 'love'. Don't call the barrister cross examining you 'love'. Also, don't call the judge Mr Bean. True.'

Another family practitioner, Stuart Hughes, a partner at Greene & Greene, suggested: 'Under cross exam in #divorce #finances on (lack of) contribution to the family don't say 'why have a dog and bark yourself'.'

Here's to some more weird and wonderful moments in 2017.