Ryan Clement

Traitors!

Ryan Clement

AFTER READING A FEW CHAPTERS of Kamala Harris’ “107 Days,” yesterday, I read parts of my The Observer (UK Sunday paper) before settling down to do some prep for the coming week. Then I recalled at a recent dinner party, the host mentioning ‘Celebrity Traitors.’ I am not a big TV fan – unless the Mighty Liverpool is playing or the news is on!

ANYWAY, I set aside 10 minutes of my life to watch it, thinking if it’s ok for David Olusoga to be in it then it’s ok for me to invest a fraction of my time watching it. OMG! As one who gets paid for cross-examining people, I find the degree of deviousness and deceitfulness fascinating. Let’s just say the said 10 minutes set aside turned into a lot longer!!!

I ATTENDED an interview of David in Edinburgh and have a ‘to Ryan’ signed copy of one of his books (I already owned others). So I am rooting for him, so that I can boast to have a signed copy of the winner’s book. Not so devious, more selfishness. 😂 Actually, joking aside, it’s all for charity. So good luck to all 👍🏽

Giving Back!

Ryan Clement, LL.M., FRSA, barrister

ONE OF THE JOYS of doing what I do for a living is having the opportunity and or being able to help advise others on various matters concerning the legal profession. I speak in schools and love the raw, innocent, unfiltered questions raised by our young ones.

YESTERDAY, I had the pleasure of being on a panel alongside the former President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Dr. I. Stephanie Boyce FKC, FRSA, and Tim Clayton for the University of Nottingham Mooting Society.

@ryanwclement

Ryan Clement

IT WAS A PARTICULARLY SPECIAL HONOUR FOR ME because when I studied for my L.LM., I spent 2-3 days a week in Nottingham for 4 months, doing some legal work at a friend’s company before returning to London and subsequently entering chambers as a pupil at Gray’s Inn. Although I was not a student at Nottingham, the university kindly allowed me to use their law library for my reading (I came first in my year with an ‘A,’ so I have a lot to thank it for!).

WHEN I STARTED on my legal journey many moons ago, I had no legal contacts to whom I could turn for advice, let alone someone of the stature a former President of the Law Society. Today, thankfully, a more diverse cohort of students have such access.

I LOOK FORWARD to reading about these aspiring students and their journeys, whichever form they may take, in the future.

Wishing them all the very best in their good years ahead 🙏🏾

We Reap What We Sow!

We Reap What We Sow! 2

We Reap What We Sow! 3

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

UNPRODUCTIVE, without any question of doubt unless planned. I rarely have the luxury of planned lazy days, so unplanned days leave me thinking about what I could or should have done, or what I could or should be doing! 🤔😩

Oceanographic by Ryan Clement

The only consolation, which does not come anywhere close to outweighing the feeling of unproductiveness, is the small sense of some physical restfulness whilst the mind was working overtime, assessing the damage or impact of the unplanned lazy day! 😳

How I choose the Music 🎶🎼🎵

Ryan Clement

A FRIEND of mine asked me yesterday, how do I choose the music for my videos? After a little – not long – reflection, I told her it was instinctive. I just feel what is right for me, and simply add it.

LIKE MANY OF US, I love music.

I mentioned in a previous blog some of the many big artists and acts I have had the pleasure of seeing live; from MJ to GM to U2 and many more.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!

HOWEVER, I do have a natural formula. If I make a legal video, it will either be without music or a quiet mellow jazz playing in the background. Occasionally, I would have a Samba beat playing, but that depends on the tempo of my voice and, to some extent, the subject matter. On a rare occasion I would go for a harder beat that conveys the message I also want to carry, as in this one on Direct Discrimination under the UK’s Equality Act 2010.

WHEN it comes to my holiday videos, I look for what I call the classics of Ella, Satchmo, Frank etc.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNd7uFba8/

The peak of these artists is before my time but I absolutely adore them. Their songs and music fit any era and any moment.

HOWEVER, again, the choice of music depends on the tempo and venue.

FOR EXAMPLE, the choice of music for Vegas at night is and would be different from one chosen for a quiet night in Kos. For the record, I did not experience a quiet night in Vegas, but I am told it happens, especially since Covid, a story to which I shall return (Vegas at night, not Covid! 🤔).

HOWEVER, like when you write ✍🏾, you know instinctively – to use a heterograph – when it’s right!

Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸

Ryan Clement

SOMETIMES, the pictures and videos simply speak for themselves.

https://youtube.com/@ryanclementtravel

Coexistence!

Holy Grail

Central Market

Oceanogràfic 🌊🐢🐠🐬🐳🐧🌊

UNTIL next time! 👋🏾

Oceanogràfic 🌊🐢🐠🐬🐳🐧🌊

Ryan Clement

I HAVE VISITED many SeaWorlds and similar places before. But none compares to Oceanogràfic in Valencia. It was informative and educational, as well as amazing. It was another warm day in Spain’s third largest city, so the feeling of being at or around the sea gave me a sensory cooling effect in this ginormous place, housing tonnes of marine life from all over the globe. 🌍🌎🌏

THE EXHIBITS were amazing, with colorful fish and rays gliding gracefully by. A highlight was the underwater tunnel where I felt an incredible sense of tranquility and peace.https://youtube.com/shorts/P4weSUJZzpA?si=mofPRiG0NlmYS22i

HOWEVER, WITHOUT QUESTION, the dolphins’ show was a standout for me. 🐬🐬🐬 Intelligent, entertaining and, like all inhabitants, I was assured, they were well looked after. There was a very clear bond between the dolphins and their caregivers. To me, the last showed.

OVERALL, it was a good mix of fun and learning about the ocean’s wonders. If ever you visit Valencia, Oceanogràfic is a must!

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Coexistence!

Holy Grail

Central Market

10 October 1996

Ryan Clement

32 YEARS AGO, I decided to change my career from being a quantity surveyor to being a barrister. After reading law for 2 years, followed by 1 year at Bar School in London, I was Called to the Bar on the anniversary of today, 29 years ago.

ON THE WHOLE, it has been an enjoyable journey, which I would encourage any budding barrister to embark on. It is tough with extremely long hours and tonnes of reading, but rewarding, especially when one has made a significant difference to someone’s life. A lot has happened since that memorable day at Middle Temple Hall on 10 October 1996. The two people who accompanied me that day – my mother and Sue – are no longer present on this Earth 🌍 physically but are with me, as always, in spirit.

AFTER MANY cases, published articles, books, media appearances, interviews and videos, I enter my 30th year in this profession with, hopefully, all being well, more of the same. Until then…

Central Market

Ryan Clement

I DON’T HAVE fond memories of markets and marketplaces because I had to pull the shopping trolley on a Saturday morning along North End Road, Fulham, London.

MY LATE MOTHER would insist I transported our food in the checkered brown cloth trolley with which I dreaded being seen with by any of my friends. It was uncool. But, I would gladly relive those moments again without complaint if it meant accompanying my mother again! Luther Vandross’ Dance With My Father springs to mind

ANYWAY, Central Market in Valencia is enormous! I watched a couple of videos before I went out, and it was suggested that tourists not only film but show some appreciation by purchasing something. I have no idea why this suggestion was felt necessary because I had no hesitation in shopping there.

I BOUGHT a thermometer 🌡️, cashew nuts, honey nuts, five drinks; one of which is a local sweet drink called Horchata or Orxata in which I soaked my Fartons, which look and taste like a lighter version of Yums Yums. And, yes, they are yummy 😋 I also bought this outside of the market place a few times!

THERE ARE MANY STALLS outside of Mercado Central (or Mercat Central), one of which sold leather goods, belts in particular. Two were purchased. Belts would be cut to size and reassembled in a flash. The belt maker consented to my filming him working at his craft.

Coexistence!

Holy Grail

TOMORROW, I write about my trip to visit some friends 🐬 🐠🐧with whom we share this planet. 🌎

Holy Grail

Ryan Clement

“Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant…'” Matthew 26:27-28

MANY MANY YEARS AGO, I was in Rome over the Easter period. We arrived on Good Friday. Our hotel was about 20 minutes walk from the Colosseum – I shall add pictures in an updated version of this blog because I am referring to a pre-digital era, which means I shall have to scan them in! 📸 On the evening of our arrival, we saw a vast crowd had gathered near the ancient amphitheatre. Upon close inspection and making our way through the crowds the best we could, we were able to see the subject of the crowd’s attention. It was none other than His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.

DESPITE the many subjects I write about, I leave it to those more learned than I to write about politics and religion. Hence, this blog gives no opinion on the subject matter, other than to say, similar to how a younger I had felt seeing such a world famous figure whom, until then, I had only ever seen on my television many times and whose image decorated the windows of almost every shop I had seen in Rome, it was a moving experience sitting in Valencia Cathedral on 4 October 2025, quietly sharing a space with a chalice that is claimed to be the true Holy Grail, although its historical authenticity remains debated by scholars.

NEXT BLOG, I go to the marketplace!

Coexistence!

Central Market

Coexistence!

Ryan Clement

IT’S OFFICIAL! Coexistence of the old and the new can and does work. I already knew that, of course, but needed a title for the short series of blogs.

I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE of visiting Rome many years ago but, unlike good friends, A. and S., not Athens where they visited just last month. That’s a must for me.

https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanclement_leisure?_t=ZN-90TOPLg4qXe&_r=1

I RETURNED from Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸, late last night (Tuesday, 7 October). I have nothing but praise for this beautiful city about which I shall be writing ✍🏾 over the next few blogs – not quite as I did about Kos.

I LANDED 🛬 in Valencia early Saturday morning in around 26 degrees. After having a Sangria 🍷at the hotel bar at 12:15, I headed for the beach 🏖️ by which time the temperature had risen significantly. It was perfect 👌🏾

VALENCIA is the birthplace of Paella, pronounced, ‘pah-AY-ya,’ and not how I used to pronounce it, ‘py-EL-a.’ 🤔

AS A FORMER SURVEYOR, I appreciate old and new architecture probably more than I might otherwise have done had I not had those professional roots. The coexistence of the old and new buildings and architecture in Valencia is in abundance, and it just works! They complement each other seamlessly and magnificently! Oh, what a joy to see! Without any hesitation, I compliment the complements. 🤗🤗🤗

Holy Grail

Central Market

TOMORROW, I shall write about a very special chalice that has its home in Valencia and which I had the pleasure of being within metres of and witness. See you then! 👋🏾

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdWjWBP6/