I absolutely HATE Spiderman!
Christmas always reminds me of one of the scariest experiences of my life.
I was alone in the house, except for my eldest son, who at the time was 3 years old and fast asleep.
It was about 3 am and suddenly I could hear a man talking.? It’s not something you can call the police for (hello, there is a man talking nearby, so I’m clearly in danger!) but it was very frightening and real enough for me to be creeping around the house with an empty glass bottle in my hand, being the only thing I could find that could possibly have passed for something I could use in self-defence.
As I made it slowly into the living room, the voice continued, and I managed to make out that it was saying a number of phrases over and over again, one of which was:
With great power comes great responsibility!
Which, as you may know, is a key phrase in Spiderman films.
When the phrase was repeated by the voice for the third time (in amongst other phrases) I managed to identify that the voice was coming from a box that had arrived from a relative, containing Christmas presents, and that she had bought my son a Spiderman clock.? Instead of waking you up with an alarm, it repeated various Spiderman phrases until you woke up and turned it off.? I can only assume that someone had accidentally set it for 3 am, and it had automatically gone off, and as no one had turned it off, it just kept repeating the phrases until I tore the paper off, turned it off, took the batteries out and then hid it at the back of a cupboard, just to be on the safe side.? I think it took several days before my heartbeat returned to normal.? The only saving grace was that I realised what a good thing it was that I had decided against calling the police.? Can you imagine the embarrassment or the police report!
Yes Sarge.? All clear here. The lady of the house was being terrorised by a talking Spiderman clock, but we’ve made it safe.
So whenever I hear the phrase being used on TV or elsewhere, my heart always skips a beat, even after all these years, and the fear and horror (not to mention feelings of stupidity) come flooding back.
Fortunately, as both of my boys are much older, Spiderman is not a well watched franchise in my house.
However, the incident came screaming back to me this weekend, when I was reading a law report about a litigation friend who has been ordered to pay ￡42,000 in legal costs, even though the role in question did not require him to have any particular legal knowledge or experience and was one for which he was not being paid.? For those of you not familiar with the title, a litigation friend is someone who agrees to help someone going through litigation, where that person needs help or support, such as if they lack mental capacity or are underage.? The litigation friend is there to help them make decisions and understand what is going on.? In this case, the litigation friend was unwell (suffering from depression) and as a result, he failed to attend a trial, which the Judge had no option but to adjourn, causing costs to be wasted by both parties.
It may sound like a harsh decision.?If you are unwell, you are unwell and no one is suggesting that the litigation friend wasn’t anything other than genuinely ill.?However, if you take on a role like this, then you have to take it seriously, and if you cannot perform your duties, you have to resign at the earliest opportunity.?Because as Peter Parker will tell you, with great power comes great responsibility.
This isn’t just limited to litigation friends.? It can apply to any one of a number of categories of volunteers, such as those who do charity work (such as being trustees) or those administering the estates for deceased family or friends.? Simply because you are not being paid to do a role, does not mean you cannot be held liable should something go wrong.? Before you take the role on, consider what the risks are, and if it is something you’re willing and able to accept.
Kleyman & Co Solicitors.?The full service law firm. We’re superheroes!
Partner at Alliotts LLP specialising in corporate tax and VAT, Mum to Patrick and car and Land Rover enthusiast
2 个月Now I know how to scare you! ??