Did you know this about Brendan Fleming?

At 22 years old Birmingham Irishman, Brendan Fleming, whom doctors thought was certain to die after a critical illness when he was 12 months old, won a major award from the legal profession.

Brendan Fleming won the prize for having the most distinctions in the examination of legal executives. The award was considered to be one of the top legal prizes in Britain, at the time.

Having failed the eleven plus at school, Brendan first became interested in law while working in the legal department of a large finance company. He studied part time in the evenings and passed four exams covering all aspects of the law over a two year period.

As a result he gained a nickname. Brendan said, “Because I’ve been quite successful in several court cases lately my friends have taken to calling me the Perry Mason of Corporation Street.”

Extract from the Irish Post, 1971