Junior Junior sticks it to an older male barrister ... Ogling attractive women in the lift ... How a fledgling female barrister should respond to male barrister's swooning remarks directed at another women ... Etiquette
My chambers is blessed with a couple of token women but, to be honest, they are the least friendly of my colleagues.
Socially I sit somewhere between the secretaries and the barristers, yet not quite belonging fully to either camp.
I go out for lunch with the secretaries and their gossip is always prefaced with, "Now you won't tell my boss, will you?"
I am fortunate to be privy to the tittle-tattle of both the secretaries and the barristers. You never know when some good information will come in handy.
While I love hanging out with the ladies and sharing food and beauty secrets, a big part of me yearns to be one of the boys.
Today, I realised my male colleagues do regard me as one of them ... and I blew it.
I'm at the Supreme Court and heading down in the lift to the foyer after an appearance.
A colleague, who curiously reminds me a lot of my father, is with me and we are chatting. In steps a very attractive woman (or so I was told).
The conversation pauses until we arrive at the foyer and de-lift.
On walking out, he said to me: "Did you see her? What an amazing piece of woman! She is strikingly beautiful."
I reply that I hadn't actually noticed.
There is an awkward moment.
I extended the awkwardness.
"Such a shame there aren't more good looking men in the Supremo."
Now he looks hurt.
"I like to think I'm looking pretty good," he sniffs.
"Sorry ... I didn't mean you. I meant men my age. The ones I would be looking at."
Ouch again!
He was irked.
"There are many older men that still have it, I'll have you know."
There was definitely tension. In my view he'd been insensitive in his ogling of the other women. Now it seemed he was offended I hadn't been ogling him. Maybe he thought I was offended that he hadn't ogled me.
I had to fill the void:
"I just tend towards men my own age. I certainly didn't mean to imply you were not an attractive man."
It is unsalvageable.
Silence was clearly the better option.
Next time I'll respond with, "Yeah, did you see those pins!"