The answer won't always be just a number, but in this case the answer was 41. This middle-aged solicitor's attempt to claim ongoing financial support from his parents was dismissed by the family court last year, and his appeal against that decision has now been denied too. 

The former head of the Family Division Sir James Munby was quoted as saying  ‘the initial reaction of most experienced family lawyers would be a robust disbelief that there is even arguable substance to any of it’.  

Frankly it is a shame that the family court's valuable time has been taken up with such an unmeritorious case when there are many families in much greater need of judicial assistance.