Plymouth Herald: “We demand reassurance this can never happen again”

Today’s edition of the Plymouth Herald includes an editorial entitled, “We demand reassurance this can never happen again“. Following what today’s online edition of the Western Morning News describes as a “serious drug error“, “when a nurse gave him an injection of a penicillin-based drug to which he was allergic he suffered a massive reaction. His daughter, Kim Tremaine, described her shock at how his head swelled and turned bright red. Three days later Mr Dudding was dead.”

Oliver Colvile, Conservative MP for Sutton and Devonport, is calling for a review into the way Derriford Hospital handled John Dudding’s treatment.

Rory Smith, a partner at Enigma Solicitors, who are representing the family, said: “The case raises issues which the family believes are of wider public concern regarding the standards of care being provided.”

Enigma to Expand

Enigma has outgrown its present offices on North Hill.

Enigma will in the near future be opening new offices in Plymouth.

Partner Neil Mercer said : “We are delighted with the way things have gone in our first few years of operating. We are taking on more staff shortly and opening a second office. More details will follow.”

Enigma’s Neil Mercer completes Plymouth 2012 Half-Marathon

Neil Mercer, one of Enigma Solicitors‘ partners, completed the Plymouth Half Marathon on Sunday 3^rd June.

Neil finished the course in 1 hour 52 minutes.

Thousands of people competed in the race, which was described as having a Jubilee feel by ITV.

Images from Enigma’s new photo gallery: Baseball

Enigma has added to its conference room eight photographs printed on aluminium plates taken by Peter Russell and the partners.

One of the photographs is of a ball signed by Doug Mientkiewicz who caught the final ball to win the Boston Red Sox the World Series in 2004, their first World Series since 1918.

Rory Smith, one of Enigma’s partners, is a huge baseball fan and his office is decorated with Red Sox memorabilia, including a signed shirt of Coco Crisp, authenticated infield dirt from Fenway Park and photographs ranging from Boston legend Ted Williams to current superstar Dustin Pedroia.

Enigma presents the top-twenty legal films of all-time: number 1 — My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Enigma Solicitors concludes its look at the top-20 legal films of all time with My Cousin Vinny.

Bill Gambini (The Karate Kid) and Stan Rockenstein (Friends) are driving through Alabama en route to California from New York. After stopping for supplies at a grocer they are soon wrongly arrested for robbery and murder. With the evidence against them seemingly damning—three witnesses have made positive identifications of the boys as the left the store in a 1964 Buick Skylark after gun shots were heard—they face a probable death sentence. With no money to pay for a lawyer, they turn to Bill’s cousin Vinny, who took six attempts to pass the Bar exams and has only been qualified for six weeks and is yet to conduct a trial.

Vinny (Joe Pesci, Goodfellas) travels from Brooklyn to Alabama with his fiancée Mona Lisa (Marisa Tomei, who won an Oscar for this role). Much of the humour is of the fish-out-of-water variety, with the big city dwellers adjusting to life in a close-knit rural small town in Alabama. Unlike many Hollywood films, My Cousin Vinny doesn’t resort to easy jokes about stereotypes of the South (see Rich Hall’s BBC Four documentary “Dirty South, or, How Hollywood Doesn’t Get the South” for more on this): the Judge (The Munsters’ Fred Gwynne in his final film appearance) isn’t corrupt; the prosecutor (Lane Smith, The New Adventures of Superman) isn’t trying to cover up a conspiracy theory; and the sheriff (Bruce McGill, The Insider) isn’t a simpleton. No, all of them are portrayed as competent and decent. Likewise, the locals aren’t hate-filled bigots. The only swipe at the South—“The Klan’s here. They’re inbred. They sleep with their sisters.”—serves to show the misconceptions and lazy sense of superiority of one of the urbanites.

The film is generally viewed as portraying legal procedures more accurately than most films and TV series, and is often considered a must-see film for law students. Alberto Bernabe of the John Marshall Law School notes the film’s representation of “criminal procedure, courtroom decorum, professional responsibility, unethical behavior, the role of the judge in a trial, efficient cross-examination, the role of expert witnesses and effective trial advocacy”. For example, the establishment of an expert witness’ credentials is shown as this and Vinny’s inexperience about the rules concerning disclosure is dealt withshown as:

Mona Lisa: You stole his files?
Vinny:  I didn’t steal his files.  Listen to this.  I’m just ready to finesse him.  I’m starting to finesse him.  I got him goin’.  He offers to have his secretary copy everything for me.
Mona Lisa: Terrific.  You’re a hell of a bonder.
Vinny:  What’s this?  You readin’ this book [on procedure]?
Mona Lisa: Yeah.
Vinny:  Do me a favor.  Okay?  Don’t read this book.  Okay?  Thank you very much.
Mona Lisa: Alright. Don’t you wanna know why Trotter gave you his files?
Vinny:  I told you why already.
Mona Lisa: He has to, by law. You’re entitled. It’s called disclosure! He has to show you everything, otherwise it could be a mistrial. He has to give you a list of all his witnesses, you can talk to all his witnesses, and he’s not allowed any surprises.
Vinny:  [Stare]
Mona Lisa: They didn’t teach you that in law school either?

The courtroom scenes are among the wittiest in the film (see here or here) and also combines tension and humour skillfully.

A legal film that’s charming, funny and informative, with great performance all round and many memorable lines.

Images from Enigma’s new photo gallery: 50 Blood Donations Badge

Enigma Solicitors has added to the conference room eight photographs printed on aluminium plates taken by Peter Russell and the partners.

Neil Mercer, one of Enigma’s partners, has been donating blood since 2005 and last year donated his 50^th platelet unit. The photograph shows the enamel badge that the National Blood Service send out to mark milestone donations and to thank donors for their commitment to saving lives.

Neil Mercer said: “Giving blood and blood components such as platelets is a way in which the healthy can assist the sick. The inconvenience is far outweighed by the benefit. It is a genuine pleasure to make such a contribution to others.”

Images from Enigma’s new photo gallery: Tin Pouring

Enigma has added to the conference room eight photographs printed on aluminium plates taken by Peter Russell and the partners.

 One of the photographs is of tin being cast into ingots.

Neil Mercer said: “The first people to smelt metal from rock were often regarded as alchemists. The stanniferous regions of Devon and Cornwall still yield tin ore which can be smelted. The resulting tin is very beautiful and precious.”

Images from Enigma’s new photo gallery: Alan Turing’s note

Enigma has added to the conference room eight photographs printed on aluminium plates taken by Peter Russell and the partners.

One of the photographs is of a postcard written by mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing shortly before he took his own life.

Neil Mercer, one of Enigma’s partners, said, “The postcard is evidence that Turing continued to wrestle with metaphysical questions until his death and shows that his astonishing mind was still generating revolutionary new concepts. Alan Turing’s logic and clarity of thought remains unique.”

Images from Enigma’s new photo gallery: Running

Enigma has added to the conference room eight photographs printed on aluminium plates taken by Peter Russell and the partners.

One of the photographs is of Enigma’s Neil Mercer during a run around Burrator Reservoir on Dartmoor.

Neil Mercer said: “Solo running long-distance is freedom. Your opponent is only yourself and your own physiological and psychological limits.  I enjoy competing against myself.”