I see lots of comments rounding on the competence of Lehrmann’s barrister based on this post.

But I would urge caution.

Even if one assumes that this post accurately summarises what happened in court, bear in mind that if Lehrmann did (as claimed earlier in the appeal) have difficulties coming up with fees for his legal team, the barrister in question may have only been briefed last minute, while the instructing solicitors may also not have started work until the last minute. It is not unusual for lawyers dealing with clients who they fear might not have the money to pay legal fees to defer working on anything of substance until they become confident that they would be paid (or, better still, have monies on account). This is especially given that, once work is actually started, it is not easy for lawyers to quit a case due to fees issues, given lawyers ethical obligations to client and to court.

In such circumstances, any mishaps in court might well have less to do with his legal team’s inherent competence, and more to do with when they were actually in a position to start work given Lehrmann’s situation with fees.