There were three new members of the senior management team: me, RG-J, and a tall tanned blonde rower. The latter, whose name was Karen, turned up to work in a bikini and sunbathed on the lawn outside while the rest of us were engaged in important tasks. I, for example, was busily sorting through my publications to display in front of the fireplace.

The more established members of staff included three grey-haired men (one of whom was clearly in awe of my 118 published papers) and an overweight woman.

Just as we were settling down for the meeting the office door burst open and a first year law student barged into the room with a shriek of “Mummy!” It was immediately obvious that she was hunting for the overweight woman. In a complete fury she levelled an insult at each of us. When it came to my turn she turned her rage to the monograph that I published in 1998.

The student’s mother was mortified. She grabbed her daughter and dragged her from the room screaming. Although it was a relief that she was gone, I knew that this student would continue to get away with this bad behaviour for as long as her mother held a senior management role.