I heard what you saw but did you read what I said????

In my early days in the legal profession, I had the pleasure of working for an entertainment law firm, who in addition to having some interesting cases, and interesting clients, also had a great sense of humour. This included having great competitions in the run-up to Christmas, where prizes were given to the fee earner who’d received the most bizarre communications. As a relatively junior member of the litigation team, I won far more often than anyone else, and somewhere I still have copies of some of the bizarre things people say, sometimes because they were bizarre themselves, but often in error. Improvements in methods of communication may have improved, but people’s communication skills have not, and I suspect that if I was going to run the competition this year, I’d probably still win. 

Recently, I was asked by an opponent about my views on medication. After some discussion, it was established he meant mediation. Obviously just an innocent typo but had that been raised in another case I’m working on (unfair dismissal case where the former employee is accused of being under the influence of drugs whilst driving) the error would have taken on a whole different meaning and could have had significant consequences. Even if you’re just sending a one-line text, always proofread what you’re saying if you’re sending it to someone who could be concerned or upset by your use of the wrong wording. 

Or there was the confusion caused at the client’s office I was working at earlier in the week when a man turned up about a new machine. The visitor was heard to say he was there about a coffee machine but became quite agitated when he was told that the machine in question was leaking water. It took some time to establish that he was actually there about the COPY machine, and wasn’t actually doing repairs, but wanted to sell them one. Again, no harm done, but time was definitely wasted, especially mine as I’m still waiting for my coffee! So make sure that you always speak clearly so there is no confusion. 

But my favourite “gaff” of the week came when I was standing on a station platform and spied a poster for a well-known bank and couldn’t resist taking a snapshot and sharing it with you all. Due to either an error by the printers and/or by whoever put the poster up, the phrase “Pop in” had become “Poo in”. It may make the advertising campaign memorable, but with banks not being overly popular, I doubt it’s what they want to be known for. Even communications like posters, posts and marketing merchandise can land you in the proverbial if you’re not careful! 

In all things, unless you aim to make people laugh (or cry) always check, double check and if necessary get someone else to check the finer details for you. 

Kleyman & Co Solicitors. The full-service law firm. Minding your Ps and Qs!