The Diary has discovered that not only are Hengeler Mueller partners the creme de la creme of the German legal scene, but, like royalty, they do not need to go to the loo.

We know this thanks to partner Hans-Juergen Hellwig’s chairmanship of the session on professional duties. The vice president of the German Bar Association was so wrapped up in the debate about the conflicting rules international lawyers are exposed to, he risked infringing the basic human rights of the panelists to take a leak.