 Aspinall was a first-rate advocate and a good parliamentary debater, but he broke down when 40 years old, an age when most men are scarcely past the beginning of their career.He had much charm of manner, and stories of his wit and humour were still being told in legal circles 70 years after his death.The "Dictionary of Australian Biography" quotes one example of his inspired impudence, which arose out of a brush with a Victorian judge.