With Bevan Brittan at the vanguard of the digital revolution, it was reassuring last week to note that the Bar Council remains frozen in time like a particularly stubborn mammoth trapped in a large regulatory tar-pit.

A routine enquiry to the body on Tuesday 30 May was met with an automated response informing callers – without a hint of embarrassment – that the body was enjoying an extended bank holiday and would be open for business on Wednesday.