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By coincidence the day I received my copy of the January edition of Counsel (as a retired barrister who still has some interest in his former profession), I also received The Times reproduction of its first edition (in the guise of “The Daily Universal Register”) of 1 January 1785.
Counsel ran an article about the making of “Garrow’s Law” (pp 27 to 29). The BBC One series portrayed a barrister who was the champion of the underdog, supporter of seemingly lost causes and a generally selfless and often ill-remunerated pioneer of defence advocacy.
Of course he may have been all of these things, but in the Daily Universal Register (p 2, fourth column) there appears a report of the adjourned examination of Mr Turner, a bankrupt. His counsel, Mr Morgan, pleaded for time to satisfy his creditors, sought “the indulgence due to innocence” and cited “the severity of the laws with respect to bankrupts”. Counsel for the creditors would have none of this: he “was of opinion that poverty or any other worldly inconvenience could not lead an honest man from the paths of probity ... He further asserted that Mr Turner had been treated with unexampled lenity and favour ... he feared that his indulgence to the prisoner (bankrupt) would draw on him the displeasure of his clients”. Counsel’s name? Mr Garrow.
David Jeffreys QC
Of course he may have been all of these things, but in the Daily Universal Register (p 2, fourth column) there appears a report of the adjourned examination of Mr Turner, a bankrupt. His counsel, Mr Morgan, pleaded for time to satisfy his creditors, sought “the indulgence due to innocence” and cited “the severity of the laws with respect to bankrupts”. Counsel for the creditors would have none of this: he “was of opinion that poverty or any other worldly inconvenience could not lead an honest man from the paths of probity ... He further asserted that Mr Turner had been treated with unexampled lenity and favour ... he feared that his indulgence to the prisoner (bankrupt) would draw on him the displeasure of his clients”. Counsel’s name? Mr Garrow.
David Jeffreys QC
By coincidence the day I received my copy of the January edition of Counsel (as a retired barrister who still has some interest in his former profession), I also received The Times reproduction of its first edition (in the guise of “The Daily Universal Register”) of 1 January 1785.
Counsel ran an article about the making of “Garrow’s Law” (pp 27 to 29). The BBC One series portrayed a barrister who was the champion of the underdog, supporter of seemingly lost causes and a generally selfless and often ill-remunerated pioneer of defence advocacy.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
