Guilty as charged
25 Aug 2010
Ex-judge pens comic tale - of the legal profession
A former military judge is set to follow the late John Mortimer after penning a comic novel about the legal profession.
Robert Seymour, best known for his role in presiding over court-martial trials, has enjoyed glowing reviews for 'Wig Begone'.
Critics and readers have praised the work for its "surreal episodes" and "larger than life" characters, as well for its "insights into the daily business of law courts".
The title introduces central character "Charles Courtley", a rookie London lawyer who finds himself involved with a series of unusual court cases.
Courtley could be compared to a younger version of fictional character Horace Rumpole - the ageing barrister created by John Mortimer who appeared in a series of novels and short stories, as well as on TV and radio.
Author Seymour, who writes under the pen name 'Charles Courtley', says he is "thrilled" to be "mentioned in the same breath" as barrister-turned-writer Mortimer, who died in 2009, aged 85.
Speaking from home in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, he said: ''Wig Begone started off as a memoir, but soon progressed into a tongue-in-cheek comedy novel as the months went on.
"It was a labour of love to write and so to find my work mentioned in the same breath as the creator of 'Rumpole of the Bailey' - one of my favourite comedy characters - is genuinely thrilling for me as an author."
The 235-page book, published recently in paperback by Matador, follows the highs and lows of Courtley's legal career in the 1970s.
Over the course of the novel, Courtley encounters a wide range of unusual clients and situations - including a policeman's dog whose canine expertise is deemed to be perfectly sound evidence.
Seymour, 61, who retired from the courts in 2009, says the novel has found "particular favour" with law students and members of the profession.
He added: ''It contains elements that some lawyers of my generation may recognise - particularly the descriptions of the grisly old judges who seemed to predominate at the time."
Wig Begone (ISBN: 9781848761735) is available through Waterstones and Amazon, priced £7.99. Go to: courtleyprocedures.wordpress.com
ISBN: 9781848761735
By Jason Taylors
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