A few days ago I attended the funeral of Judge Nicholas Brandt who was for many years the resident circuit judge at Colchester County Court.
When you first encountered Judge Brandt, he could appear fearsome. He was very much a judge of the old school, with a superficially grumpy air about him. However, the more often that I appeared before him, the more I relished the experience. Judge Brandt could be relied upon to adopt a robust approach in his cases. He would frequently say things that were entertaining and on occasions even a little outrageous; there was rarely a hearing where I did not return to the office with a great anecdote about something that he had said or done.
Most importantly, he was rarely wrong. Sometimes you might have to negotiate a uneven highway, but I struggle to think of any occasions when he came to the wrong decision. His judgement was impeccable.
I will always remember one occasion when I appeared before him when I incurred his wrath and he tore a strip off me for some minor transgression. Later that day, I was at a drinks party organised by the local barristers’ chambers. I was still feeling a little raw after my experience in court that day so when I spotted Judge Brandt approaching, I confess that my heart sank. He walked over with a big grin on his face, and said “I really must remember not to be beastly to those I meet socially later on in the day.” All sins were forgiven.