The Diary has a suggestion for a spin-off from a snakes and ladders game devised by Liverpool firm Weightmans to help explain the impact of the Woolf reforms to its clients.

Why not use the same device to illustrate
the pitfalls of attempting to manage the aforementioned law firm?
Ladder: Weightmans confirms existence of tripartite merger talks with Jacksons and Kennedys to create one of the most powerful National Insurance practices in the land.