Reviews

<p><b><i>Under the Wig: a Lawyer’s Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence </i></b><br /><b>Author: William Clegg QC </b><br /><b>Publisher: Canbury Press (2018) </b><br /><b>ISBN: 9781912454082 </b> </p><p>The great virtue of this utterly compelling book is that Bill Clegg QC tells it as it is. Now, in the terrible chaos engulfing a great profession and on his way to the top. A life of a top criminal advocate within a profession he loves and adorns, with many high profile cases well summarised. Written for the interested non-lawyer, it has an excellent structure of career progression and specific cases combined together, chapter by chapter. It reads like the man: direct, clear, properly combative, reasonable and devoid of artificial rhetorical. </p><p>Missing are detailed pen portraits of fellow advocates, but that would have missed the point of a book which sets out unambiguously to demystify and to inform. It will serve equally well for any would-be lawyers, who, like the author and many of us, did not have any inside legal connections before we began. Absorb with joy the advice on how to appeal to a jury and remember it. Cherish equally how to win the trust of a judge. </p><p>So of course the author tackles the questions advocates are always asked and the byzantine ways leading us from eating dinners, slogging through pupillage, keeping heads above water in practice to eventually, for the chosen, Silk. His range of high profile cases include Jill Dando’s terrible killing, the case of Michael Stone, War Crimes in the Balkans, Private Lee Clegg and the Phone Hacking trial. But it is his analysis and strictures on the ‘Trying times for Legal Aid’ which will resonate with so many readers. The insider’s view, persuasive for its obvious truths. Just a glimpse: </p><p>‘If you believe, as I do that everyone is entitled to a fair trial, it follows that every individual must have access to proper legal representation regardless of their financial status. Legal aid was designed precisely to do just that… For decades, the system worked well… the barristers defending [legal aid defendants] earned a fee that was independently assessed to be fair and reasonable full. This is no longer the case.’<i></i> </p><p>And then all the reasons: a decade of government cuts… for lawyers have fallen out of favour with the Treasury. And other woes: court staffing has been reduced and the budget for maintaining the courts has fallen. Stories of leaking roofs, toilets that do not work and heating and air conditioning systems that are broken. </p><p>‘There is a general feeling of squalor that you might expect in a developing country (but curiously do not find there, because respect for the rule of law demands that the courts are properly maintained). Here, in one of the largest economies in Europe, that does not appear to be the case.’ </p><p>There is much more to justify his conclusion: it is absolutely no exaggeration to say that the profession is in crisis. So it is and we should shout that from the rooftops. And the more that leading lawyers beat that drum, the better chance of reform. What would Jeremy Bentham make of our shoddy slide into mediocrity by default and wilful underfunding! </p><p>Now all of that may just suggest a faint partiality by your reviewer. Perish the thought. My independent verdict is that I have never read a more accurate portrayal of our profession. Buy it now. </p><p><b>Reviewer: Nigel Pascoe QC</b> </p>

<div><p><b><i>Missing</i></b><br /><b>Author: James Stewart</b><br /><b>Publisher: Melrose Books (2018)</b><br /><b>ISBN: 9781912333936</b> </p></div><div><p>Missing, by retired judge James Stewart QC, reads like an episode of <i>Midsomer Murders</i> updated for the 21st century; this is no bad thing. There is a straightforward plot with the disappearance of a key character, as one might anticipate from a book with this title. It does not matter that the characters are caricatures, fleshed out with just enough detail that is required for their roles. While there is no deep analysis of personality, preconceptions or motive, this is not necessary in a short but gripping read that keeps one guessing to the very end. Further, the brief characterisation is deftly done, and conjures up possible inhabitants of a modern-day sleepy village in North Yorkshire effortlessly. </p><p>There are some fond and lyrical observations about the region, and about cricket, which appear entirely incidental to the action. While no doubt reflecting the pride and affection of the writer for his home, they were also slightly distracting. This did not stop the book from being a real page turner. Reading this at court, such is the life of a busy barrister, I groaned when it was time for the start of each day, so engrossed did I become with the narrative. The trial is covered in all the detail that only a barrister or judge would include – or want to read – and this certainly helps the tension mount. One wants to know the outcome and what the jury decides. </p><p>The ending when it came was unexpected and included the promised twist. There were lots of small questions that remained unanswered but none that troubled one unduly when justice was clearly done. More unexpected was the pondering of the justice system and the role of juries at the end of the book. It would have been better placed as a spoken observation of a character on screen (hence, a cracking modern-day version of <i>Midsomer Murders</i> or something longer than needs to be seen on screen); as it was it jarred slightly in a novel where what the characters think is never really explored. Nonetheless, overall, definitely worth reading. </p><div></div><p><b>Reviewer: M</b><b>elissa Coutinho</b> </p></div>

<div><p><b><i>Blind Defence</i></b><br /><b>Author: John Fairfax</b><br /><b>Publisher: Little, Brown (2018)</b><br /><b>ISBN: 9781408708750</b> </p></div><div><p>This is a long book – more than 300 pages – and having invested time in reading it, one is predisposed to want this to be well spent. The protagonist rivals Morse, Tennison or Sherlock in having unexpected characteristics that draws you in. A defence barrister, who has himself served a term of imprisonment, he presents as a flawed hero and is the underdog the reader is silently rooting for. Following in the best traditions of crime drama, clues, the characters’ background and histories are revealed bit by bit to form a veritable jigsaw. </p><p>Optioned for television, it is easy to see how this beautifully written book by William Brodrick (who practised as a barrister before writing full time; Fairfax is his pen name), would transfer to screen sympathetically. There is vivid imagery to exploit; houseboats, East End gangsters, organised-crime lords, dark alleys, sudden deaths and fishermen all feature. With political strands being interwoven into the topic of law, different social classes, and an unspoken commentary thereof featuring, it ticked all the boxes one has come to expect with this type of novel. </p><p>However, it also appeared to be something of a Harry Potter novel; the multiple strands and little details – which one felt sure should amount to a startling revelation – are never fully explored. I would not be surprised that this second book featuring the double act of De Vere (solicitor) and Benson (counsel), will be followed by a third, and possibly more books, with additional disclosures. Ultimately, I was left slightly annoyed and cheated that some of the detail of the clever plot was not well explained. I still do not understand the significance of an infamous cigarette butt (on which much turns inexplicably), despite going back to see if I have missed something! That said, when the next book comes out, will I read it? Just try and stop me. And when this is on television, I may shout at the screen occasionally – but I will enjoy doing so. </p><div></div><p><b>Reviewer: Melissa Coutinho</b> </p></div>

<p><strong><em>Defending the Guilty </em>, BBC 2<br /> Pilot: 19 September 2018<br /> Creators: Alex McBride and Kieron Quirke<br /> Director: Jim Field Smith</strong> </p>