Licensing: The Dangers of Precedents - Oxonica Energy Ltd v Neuftec Ltd
I learned to draft as a pupil at 9 Old Square, the chambers of Robert Megarry , Lenny Hoffmann , Jeremiah Harman and Nick Patten. Unlike the common law chambers where I spent the first 6 months of my pupillage and indeed every set in which I was subsequently a tenant, there were no copies of Atlkin's Court Forms , the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents or any other precedent book in chambers. When I asked why I was told that precedents were at best a distraction to clear thought and clear expression and at worst a potential danger to both the draftsman and his client. Though the ban on precedent books undoubtedly made my pupillage more difficult than it might otherwise have been, I understood the wisdom of it from the start. Indeed, I applied it to my practice and eventually imparted it to my own pupils. A case transcript that shows just how wise that policy was is the decision of Mr Peter Prescott QC in Oxonica Energy Ltd v Neuftec Ltd [2008] EWHC 2127. Early in his judgment ...