The Diary was intrigued to learn during a session at the International Bar Association (IBA) conference in San Francisco on white collar crime that some criminal defence lawyers have a very pragmatic view of their rather naughty clients and their fraudulent antics.

“A client is like a trophy fish on the wall,” observed one speaker. “If he had never opened his mouth in the first place he would never have been caught. So I always tell my clients: ‘Keep your mouth shut!’”