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By Jo Delahunty KC
Reviewed by Anna Yarde
Bristol University Press (May 2026), Paperback 306 pages, ISBN 9781529221282
Thank you for your love letter, which was profound.
Although its arrival was anticipated, the complicated feelings conjured by your vulnerability, openness and integrity were not. Such candour takes a great deal of courage. Thank you for setting the Bar.
It is easy to admire the JDKC that others can see – the advocate, the leader, the fighter. The one who has earned her suffix through fearless cross-examination and the relentless pursuit of justice. The JDKC who lectures, practises and adjudicates.
But understanding the journey that led there – and the person behind the initials – adds depth and meaning to the achievements. It is those experiences, and the supporting actors, that resonate so clearly and for so many. After all, it is a rare individual who leads a life completely untouched by disadvantage, abuse, discrimination, bullying, disability/illness or the improper use of power – whether by themselves or a treasured friend or colleague. And it is the absolute duty of leaders and those in privileged positions to ensure that the voices of those who experience those obstacles are truly listened to and acted upon. Talking about the role models who shaped our stories, as you have done, enable us all to become the mentors that the next generation needs and deserves.
Your determination to empower leaders and juniors alike to become the change that we all need is forceful. Thank you for taking responsibility for the lead vocals, while giving others a platform to share their experiences and form the chorus. Your willingness to share your own difficult, painful memories is testament to your commitment to enabling those at the Bar to speak up when it is uncomfortable, and to always do what is right.
Thank you for talking about the burden, as well as the privilege of representing the most vulnerable individuals in care proceedings.
How intrusive it feels to not only read about someone else’s most personal moments, but to immersive yourself in their private conversations, raw and unfiltered feelings, and the everyday details of their being. To be drawn in, consumed, and to finally retreat hours later – taking part of their story forever into yours.
What it feels like to bear witness to someone else’s grief, pain, confusion and suffering. To predict the likely outcome of their story. To take a share in the responsibility how it ends.
Thank you for showing us what it means, and costs, to share the beautiful chaos of a whole, complex person. What it means to look a certain way, speak a certain way and think a certain way at the Bar. How we must all reflect on who we are and the values that will govern our practice. What it means to do right. And why we must all do it – after all, We Set the Bar.
Perhaps we should wonder – was this letter truly only meant for us? You see, we’ve also been swept up in this all-consuming, utterly addictive romance. We’ve already made the same life-long commitment to justice, accountability and human rights – ‘til death do us part.
And, just as you have done, we have made the same choice: that the cost, working conditions, and sacrifice, is worth the reward.
We make that choice, over and over and over – as individuals – and we join to create an unstoppable force for good. We do so, listening to the words in your love letter, and committing to make the Bar a healthier, more egalitarian place: ‘We come to the Bar to make a difference. When we do, the lengths we have gone to achieve our place fade into nothing, and we would not think twice before doing so again.’
In service, standing together, and always in unrelenting, defiant hope that we will be heard,
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Anna Yarde is a family law barrister at Harcourt. She specialises in the law relating to children, Deprivation of Liberty and Forced Marriage. Anna is a Legal 500 leading junior (2025)
Bristol University Press (May 2026), Paperback 306 pages, ISBN 9781529221282
Thank you for your love letter, which was profound.
Although its arrival was anticipated, the complicated feelings conjured by your vulnerability, openness and integrity were not. Such candour takes a great deal of courage. Thank you for setting the Bar.
It is easy to admire the JDKC that others can see – the advocate, the leader, the fighter. The one who has earned her suffix through fearless cross-examination and the relentless pursuit of justice. The JDKC who lectures, practises and adjudicates.
But understanding the journey that led there – and the person behind the initials – adds depth and meaning to the achievements. It is those experiences, and the supporting actors, that resonate so clearly and for so many. After all, it is a rare individual who leads a life completely untouched by disadvantage, abuse, discrimination, bullying, disability/illness or the improper use of power – whether by themselves or a treasured friend or colleague. And it is the absolute duty of leaders and those in privileged positions to ensure that the voices of those who experience those obstacles are truly listened to and acted upon. Talking about the role models who shaped our stories, as you have done, enable us all to become the mentors that the next generation needs and deserves.
Your determination to empower leaders and juniors alike to become the change that we all need is forceful. Thank you for taking responsibility for the lead vocals, while giving others a platform to share their experiences and form the chorus. Your willingness to share your own difficult, painful memories is testament to your commitment to enabling those at the Bar to speak up when it is uncomfortable, and to always do what is right.
Thank you for talking about the burden, as well as the privilege of representing the most vulnerable individuals in care proceedings.
How intrusive it feels to not only read about someone else’s most personal moments, but to immersive yourself in their private conversations, raw and unfiltered feelings, and the everyday details of their being. To be drawn in, consumed, and to finally retreat hours later – taking part of their story forever into yours.
What it feels like to bear witness to someone else’s grief, pain, confusion and suffering. To predict the likely outcome of their story. To take a share in the responsibility how it ends.
Thank you for showing us what it means, and costs, to share the beautiful chaos of a whole, complex person. What it means to look a certain way, speak a certain way and think a certain way at the Bar. How we must all reflect on who we are and the values that will govern our practice. What it means to do right. And why we must all do it – after all, We Set the Bar.
Perhaps we should wonder – was this letter truly only meant for us? You see, we’ve also been swept up in this all-consuming, utterly addictive romance. We’ve already made the same life-long commitment to justice, accountability and human rights – ‘til death do us part.
And, just as you have done, we have made the same choice: that the cost, working conditions, and sacrifice, is worth the reward.
We make that choice, over and over and over – as individuals – and we join to create an unstoppable force for good. We do so, listening to the words in your love letter, and committing to make the Bar a healthier, more egalitarian place: ‘We come to the Bar to make a difference. When we do, the lengths we have gone to achieve our place fade into nothing, and we would not think twice before doing so again.’
In service, standing together, and always in unrelenting, defiant hope that we will be heard,
By Jo Delahunty KC
Reviewed by Anna Yarde
The age of criminal responsibility, extreme weather and conflict resolution – plus, new protocol for reporting bullying at the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP discusses her decade as a trade union and employment law barrister, the demands of life as a Law Officer and the number one priority shaping her work. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
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
At least not that way, says Richard Paige
