A pre-Christmas night out for DLA Piper staff turned into a brawl, with a senior member of staff hospitalised.

Members of the firm's marketing department were having a few festive pints at The Gables on Moorgate when a pissed-up reveller (with no connection to the firm) tried to crash the party. After making repeated advances to female members of the group, which were ignored, he announced that "one of you is going to get my cock". The silver tongued charmer.

An artist's impression of a DLA Piper Christmas party

That was enough for one particular manager, who grabbed the lout and escorted him to the door. However when the bouncers persuaded him to release his grip, the drunk man turned round, kicked the manager in the head and ran off. The unfortunate manager spent several hours in A&E getting his face stitched back together, before catching a morning flight to the US. Where the notoriously unfriendly immigration staff were no doubt impressed by his massive shiner.

It's now thought that DLA Piper is banned from the pub, although the bar refused to comment.