‘Please remember all judges without fail are particular about how you dress. If you appear in chambers again arrive early and be neat in appearance. Don’t use heavy perfume, make sure your coat, blouse or shirt or your person does not exude body odour.’ FOIBLES IN COURT APPEARANCE & PROCEDURES 23 March 2004, Royal Lake Club Dato’ KC Vorah (Former Court of Appeal Court Judge, Malaysia)

I Thou shalt treat the Court with courtesy and candour

II Thou shalt not meddle in things that thou dost not understand.

III Thou shalt be familiar with thy brief; yea, even unto the last page thereof.

IV Thou shalt deal with what is troubling the judge. Yea, adapt thine submissions to the signals from the Bench. Verily, not all questioning indicates that the Bench is against thou.

V Thy heads of argument shall seek to enlighten the bench; thou shall not seek to lead the court astray, nor shalt thou cut and paste founding or answering affidavits and pass them off as heads.

VI Thou shalt not falsely hold out the prospect of settlement because thou art unfamiliar with thy brief, or for any other reason that is nefarious.

VII Thou shalt be brief and not waste the court’s time

VIII Thou shalt disagree without being disagreeable.

IX Thou shalt not speak ill of the Bench

X Thou shalt not gather every grape from thy vineyard; thou shalt leave sufficient for the poor and stranger who inhabit the pro bono clinic.