User talk:JimTindal

Somersett's Case
Excellent job on the edits on Sommersett's case. I did a bit of tidying up to link in some other terms (esp. the Yorke-Talbot slavery opinion and just conform some of the citiations to the Manual of Style for legal citations on Wikipedia. I have always though that the article on Somersett's case is a GA waiting to happen.  Hopefully with a bit more work we can have it ready to put it into the nomination process.  But we need to be a little careful to preserve the distinction between that article and Slavery at common law.  Glad it is not just me that has a fascination with this area of the law! --Legis (talk - contributions) 11:34, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Somersett's Case
Thank you very much. I'm not sure I'm doing this right, because this is the first time I've posted on Wikipedia and to be honest I wasn't even aware of any of the rules and guidance about it, still less how to communicate with people on it !

I'm a Barrister in Birmingham - slightly less glamorous than your locale by the sounds of it ! I agree, it is a fascinating area of law. In fact I was reading a book on slavery and the author was having a bit of a pop at Lord Mansfield and in researching him, I felt the Wikipedia page, whilst more balanced, didn't really reflect the radicalism of the judgment notwithstanding Mansfield's essential personal conservatism (what else would you expect from a Judge of his or any time ?). Thanks for your helpful changes and comments - not sure what a GA is though ! Jim Tindal (30th May 7.11 BST)


 * Don't worry - I think that is how we all start. GA is Wikipedia slang for "Good Article", which means one which has gone through the Good article candidates nomination and approvals process.  Don't worry too much about style - there are plenty of style Nazis around patrolling for that; there is a real shortage of editors contributing content though, and it will be nice to have someone else chipping in legal stuff from time to time.  Funnily enough, I almost started my career at the Birmingham Bar too (at what used to be called 5 Fountain Court, but I think has since rebranded itself), but at the last minute I switched and did my pupillage in London and from there moved offshore. --Legis (talk - contribs) 07:13, 30 May 2007 (UTC)


 * 5 Fountain Court still going: now 'No.5' which I always thought sounds like a hair product - I'm at their big rivals 'St Philips', but get on fine with them really. My impression is that there are plenty of Wikipedia links around this subject - the Yorke-Talbot opinion in particular - which are really good but need 'aligning' with each other (for want of a better word) - not necessarily written by the same people or even from the same standpoint but with a consistent structure, proper links and minimum of overlap. On a different subject, might also be interesting to do a bit of stuff on modern human rights law, will have a think about potential subjects. Jim Tindal (31st May 7.52 BST)