Download or read book Memoirs of a Barrister written by Jack Elliott and published by Wakefield Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jack Elliot, QC, worked as a barrister (mainly for defence) in Adelaide for fifty years, acting in many of the State's well-known cases. His stories from the courts will fascinate anyone with an interest in the mysterious workings of our system of justice.
Download or read book Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer written by Michael Mansfield and published by Bloomsbury Paperbacks. This book was released on 2011-11-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Mansfield, QC, is Britain's most high-profile defence lawyer, whose unparalleled commitment to his clients and radical approach to forensics, evidence and disclosure have made him a scourge of the establishment and a champion of the individual in many miscarriages of justice cases. Passionate about unveiling corruption and unafraid to challenge received wisdom, he has taken on many of the most controversial cases of our times, including the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, Angela Cannings, Jill Dando and Barry George, Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana, Stephen Lawrence, Arthur Scargill and the miners and, most recently, the tragic death of Jean Charles de Menezes. Dissecting these cases with incisive intelligence, subtlety and humour, and interspersing revealing personal reminiscences he offers a fascinating insight into the idiosyncrasies of the English legal system and how it has changed from the late 1960s to the present.
Download or read book Moving the Bar written by Michael Ratner and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Michael Ratner (1943-2016) was one of America's leading human rights lawyers. He worked for more than four decades at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) becoming first the Director of Litigation and then the President of what Alexander Cockburn called "a small band of tigerish people." He was also the President of the National Lawyers Guild. Ratner handled some of the most significant cases In American history. This book tells why and how he did it. His last case, which he worked on until he died, was representing truth-telling whistleblower and now political prisoner Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks. Ratner "moved the bar" by organizing some 600 lawyers to successfully defend habeas corpus, that is, the ancient right of someone accused of a crime to have a lawyer and to be brought before a judge. Michael had a piece of paper taped on the wall next to his desk at the CCR. It read: 4 key principles of being a radical lawyer: 1. Do not refuse to take a case just because it is long odds of winning in court. 2. Use cases to publicize a radical critique of US policy and to promote revolutionary transformation. 3. Combine legal work with political advocacy. 4. Love people. Compelling and instructive, Moving the Bar is an indispensable manual for the next generation of activists and their lawyers"--Publisher's description.
Download or read book The Secret Barrister written by The Secret Barrister and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2018-03-22 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An anonymous barrister offers a shocking, darkly comic and very moving journey through the legal system – and explains how it's failing all of us. The Sunday Times number one bestseller. Winner of the Books are My Bag Non-Fiction Award. Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year. Shortlisted for Specsavers Non-Fiction Book of the Year. You may not wish to think about it, but one day you or someone you love will almost certainly appear in a criminal courtroom. You might be a juror, a victim, a witness or – perhaps through no fault of your own – a defendant. Whatever your role, you’d expect a fair trial. I’m a barrister. I work in the criminal justice system, and every day I see how fairness is not guaranteed. Too often the system fails those it is meant to protect. The innocent are wronged and the guilty allowed to walk free. In The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken I want to share some stories from my daily life to show you how the system is broken, who broke it and why we should start caring before it’s too late. A Sunday Times top ten bestseller for twenty-four weeks. ‘Eye-opening, funny and horrifying’ – Observer ‘Everyone who has any interest in public life should read it’ – Daily Mail
Download or read book In Your Defence written by Sarah Langford and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'As thrilling as a detective novel.' The Times 'Powerful, moving and often captivating.' Financial Times 'A compelling read for anyone who cares about fairness, justice and humanity.' Observer The Sunday Times bestseller ___ Sarah Langford is a barrister. Her job is to stand in court representing the mad and the bad, the vulnerable, the heartbroken and the hopeful. She must become their voice. Sarah weaves their story around the black and white of the law and tell it to the courtroom. These stories may not make headlines but they will change the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways. They are stories which, but for a twist of luck, might have been yours. With remarkable candour, Sarah describes eleven cases which reveal what goes on in our criminal and family courts: these are tales of domestic fall out, everyday burglary, sexual indiscretion, and children caught up in the law. They are sometimes shocking and they are often heart-stopping. She examines how she feels as she defends the person standing in the dock. She also shows us how our attitudes and actions can shape not only the outcome of a case, but the legal system itself. ___ What readers are saying: ***** 'Absolutely fascinating . . . thought provoking, powerful and a compelling read.' ***** 'This book broke my heart at times but also contained humour and such poignant insights into the criminal justice system.' ***** 'Sarah writes incredibly well - she's informative while maintaining suspense and tension, and conveys so much emotion in her writing
Download or read book Mostly Guilty written by Michael Challinger and published by Hybrid Publishers. This book was released on 2021-03-01 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A book for the general reader rather than lawyers, this often tongue-in-cheek account of Michael Challinger's interactions with the criminals he defends gives a first-hand account of the quirky nature of human beings. Mostly Guilty deals with the workings of the lowest level of the Australian legal system. It's about the down-to-earth cases that happen daily in Magistrates' Courts. It does so through the experiences and anecdotes of a low-flying criminal barrister. While the cases are from Victoria, the book makes reference to other states and has relevance and interest Australia-wide. The style is light, punchy and informal, with lots of direct speech and many funny yarns. Some of the book is tongue-in-cheek (and even politically incorrect) but it also makes serious points throughout. It's entertaining as well as informative. The chapters are short, and generally deal with specific offences (shop theft, for example) or areas of law (bail). Others recount particular cases in an ironic or colourful way. Most cases are of low to medium criminality so the light-hearted tone is not inappropriate. Most legal memoirs are by big-shot advocates or retired judges. Mostly Guilty is different, and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Download or read book Fake Law written by The Secret Barrister and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2020-09-03 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A powerful polemic' Sunday Times 'A compelling, eye-opening read' Daily Express – Did an illegal immigrant avoid deportation because he had a cat? – Is the law on the side of the burglar who enters your home? – Are unelected judges ‘enemies of the people’? Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we even think of it at all. But the law touches every area of our lives: from intimate family matters to the biggest issues in our society. Our unfamiliarity is dangerous because it makes us vulnerable to media spin, political lies and the kind of misinformation that frequently comes from loud-mouthed amateurs and those with vested interests. This 'fake law' allows the powerful and the ignorant to corrupt justice without our knowledge – worse, we risk letting them make us complicit. Thankfully, the Secret Barrister is back to reveal the stupidity, malice and incompetence behind many of the biggest legal stories of recent years. In Fake Law, the Secret Barrister debunks the lies and builds a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy that is as entertaining as it is vital.
Download or read book Ugly written by Constance Briscoe and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2008-11-13 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I handed my school photograph to my mother. She stared from the photograph to me. "Lord, sweet Lord, how come she so ugly. Ugly. Ugly.' These cruel words are just the beginning. Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the child was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself: there was no gas, no electricity and no food. But somehow Constance found the courage to survive her terrible start in life. This is her heartbreaking - and ultimately triumphant story.
Download or read book Girl Walks Out of a Bar written by Lisa F. Smith and published by SelectBooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-06-07 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lisa Smith was a bright, young lawyer at a prestigious firm in NYC in the early nineties when alcoholism started to take over her life. What was once a way of escaping her insecurity and negativity became a means of coping with the anxiety and stress of an impossible workload. Girl Walks Out of a Bar is Smith's darkly comic and wrenchingly honest story of her formative years, the decade of alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, and her road to recovery. Smith describes how her spiraling circumstances conspired with her predisposition to depression and self-medication, nurturing an environment ripe for addiction to flourish. Girl Walks Out of a Bar is a candid portrait of alcoholism through the lens of gritty New York realism. Beneath the façade of success lies the reality of addiction.
Download or read book My Brief Career written by Harry Mount and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My Brief Career has all the horror of a Dickensian tragedy and all the charm of Bridget Jones' Diaries. An expose of what goes on behind the ancient walls of London's inns of court, this fascinating story dares to reveal the grim secrets of one of England's most archaic institutions . . . This is a book for everyone who has ever though they might want to become a lawyer.
Download or read book Under the Wig written by William Clegg and published by . This book was released on 2019-05-02 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'GRIPPING' - The Times How can you speak up for someone accused of a savage murder? Or sway a jury? Or get a judge to drop a case? In this memoir, murder case lawyer William Clegg revisits his most intriguing trials, from the acquittal of Colin Stagg to the shooting of Jill Dando, to the man given life because of an earprint. All the while he lays bare the secrets of his profession, from the rivalry among barristers to the nervous moments before a verdict comes back, and how our right to a fair trial is now at risk. Under the Wig is for anyone who wants to know the reality of a murder trial. It has been praised as "gripping" by The Times, "riveting" by the Sunday Express and "fascinating" by the Secret Barrister, who described the author as "one of our country's greatest jury advocates." Several prominent barristers, including Matthew Scott and Bob Marshall-Andrews QC, have said Under the Wig is a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the criminal law. Switch off the TV dramas and see real criminal law in action. Well-known cases featured: The Murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common The Chillenden Murders (Dr Lin and Megan Russell) The Trial of Private Lee Clegg The Murder of Jill Dando The first Nazi war crimes prosecution in the UK The Murder of Joanna Yeates The Rebekah Brooks Phone Hacking Trial REVIEWS 'This is a gripping memoir from one of our country's greatest jury advocates, offering a fascinating, no-holds-barred tour behind the scenes of some of the most famous criminal cases of modern times.' - The Secret Barrister 'Countless veteran lawyers have produced page-tuners based in the fictional world of law, but in Under the Wig William Clegg, QC, has distilled his extraordinary life in the criminal courtroom into a yarn equally as gripping.' - The Times 'One of England's best barristers provides a fascinating sometimes hilarious combination of a personal odyssey and insider accounts of the most important and famous court cases of recent times. 'From the infamous case of Colin Stagg and the Wimbledon Murders to war crimes in Belarus and Bosnia and the Murdoch phone hacking trials we share and applaud the author's deep commitment to justice and his infectious enthusiasm for one of the world's greatest professions. An absolute must read for anyone who aspires to join it (and anyone who already has.)' - Bob Marshall-Andrews QC 'Bill Clegg's memoir draws on some of the most high-profile criminal prosecutions of recent years to illuminate the career of a defence lawyer at the peak of his success. 'Deftly weaving personal reminiscences into the view from counsel's bench, he solves one high-profile murder case long before the police and ensures that justice is finally done in another after the tactics adopted by a better-known QC have led to a miscarriage of justice. 'Unlike many works of this genre, Clegg's case-book eschews endless exchanges with long-forgotten judges, lawyers and villains. Like the successful jury advocate that he is, Clegg reduces his story to its essence.' - Joshua Rozenberg 'A must read if you've got any interest in the criminal law.' - Matthew Scott, Barrister Blog 'Economically, simply and engagingly written... It is a must read for anyone with an interest in the law and justice, aspiring barristers and those with an interest in legal history.' - Catherine Baksi, Legal Hackette
Download or read book A Half Baked Idea written by Olivia Potts and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2019-07-25 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WINNER OF THE FORTNUM & MASON'S DEBUT FOOD BOOK AWARD 'A tender and beautifully written tour-de-force on love, grief, hope and cake. If this is not the book of the summer, I will eat my wig. An absolute triumph' THE SECRET BARRISTER 'An utterly beautiful, moving, bittersweet book on love and loss. I loved it' DOLLY ALDERTON _____________________________________________________ When Olivia Potts was just twenty five, her mother died. Stricken with grief, she did something life changing and rather ridiculous: she gave up a high-flying legal career to study at the notoriously difficult Le Cordon Bleu, despite not being able to cook. No one ever told Olivia you couldn't bake your way to happiness - but could you? _______________________________________________ 'A brilliant, brave and beautiful book: funny and charming; utterly inspiring and life-affirming' Olivia Sudjic 'A heart-wrenching yet humorous portrayal of grief, a delicious collection of recipes, an inspirational tale of changing careers, and a feel good love story' Vogue 'Funny, sharp and sad. I laughed so much (and I cried)' Ella Risbridger, author of Midnight Chicken 'An honest, brave and funny account of what it is to love, to lose love and how to make macarons' Red
Download or read book Do Right and Fear No One written by Leslie Thomas QC and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-04-14 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'If deaths are not investigated, then the authorities cannot be held to account and democracy is threatened. And if deaths are not investigated, we are not a society that values human life.' Inspired from a young age to help the marginalised and voiceless, Leslie Thomas QC has dedicated his career to fighting for the underdog and holding the State to account. This intimate and personal record of some of the most significant, controversial and disturbing legal cases of the last fifty years lays bare the very heart of the law enforcement and judicial process. It's an unforgettable account of an idealistic and outspoken lawyer's coming of age as a Black man in London, and a powerful portrait of the lives of those he has fought for. From the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, to the deaths of Christi and Bobby Shepherd by carbon monoxide poisoning, the Birmingham Pub Bombings and the police shooting of Mark Duggan, Do Right and Fear No One present a blistering argument for a level playing field in the pursuit of justice.
Download or read book The Prosecutor written by Nazir Afzal and published by Random House. This book was released on 2020-04-16 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The outsider who transformed our justice system Nazir Afzal knows a thing or two about justice. As a Chief Prosecutor, it was his job to make sure the most complex, violent and harrowing crimes made it to court, and that their perpetrators were convicted. From the Rochdale sex ring to the earliest prosecutions for honour killing and modern slavery, Nazir was at the forefront of the British legal system for decades. But his story begins in Birmingham, in the sixties, as a young boy facing racist violence and the tragic death of a young family member - and it's this that sets him on the path to his groundbreaking career, and which enables him to help communities that the conventional justice system ignores, giving a voice to the voiceless. A memoir of struggle and survival as well as crime and punishment, The Prosecutor is both a searing insight into the justice system and a powerful story of one man's pursuit of the truth.
Download or read book The Rule of Law written by Tom Bingham and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2011-07-07 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A gem of a book ... Inspiring and timely. Everyone should read it' Independent 'The Rule of Law' is a phrase much used but little examined. The idea of the rule of law as the foundation of modern states and civilisations has recently become even more talismanic than that of democracy, but what does it actually consist of? In this brilliant short book, Britain's former senior law lord, and one of the world's most acute legal minds, examines what the idea actually means. He makes clear that the rule of law is not an arid legal doctrine but is the foundation of a fair and just society, is a guarantee of responsible government, is an important contribution to economic growth and offers the best means yet devised for securing peace and co-operation. He briefly examines the historical origins of the rule, and then advances eight conditions which capture its essence as understood in western democracies today. He also discusses the strains imposed on the rule of law by the threat and experience of international terrorism. The book will be influential in many different fields and should become a key text for anyone interested in politics, society and the state of our world.
Download or read book Spider Woman written by Lady Hale and published by Random House. This book was released on 2021-10-07 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. Spider Woman is her story. As 'a little girl from a little school in a little village in North Yorkshire', she only went into the law because her headteacher told her she wasn't clever enough to study history. She became the most senior judge in the country but it was an unconventional path to the top. How does a self-professed 'girly swot' get ahead in a profession dominated by men? Was it a surprise that the perspectives of women and other disadvantaged groups had been overlooked, or that children's interests were marginalised? A lifelong smasher of glass-ceilings, who took as her motto 'women are equal to everything', her landmark rulings in areas including domestic violence, divorce, mental health and equality were her attempt to correct that. As President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale won global attention in finding the 2019 prorogation of Parliament to be unlawful. Yet that dramatic moment was merely the pinnacle of a career throughout which she was hailed as a pioneering reformer. Wise, warm and inspiring, Spider Woman shows how the law shapes our world and supports us in crisis. It is the story of how Lady Hale found that she could overcome the odds, which shows that anyone from similar beginnings will find that they can cope too.
Download or read book Rather His Own Man written by Geoffrey Robertson and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2018-02-26 with total page 634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this witty, engrossing and sometimes poignant memoir, a sequel to his best-selling The Justice Game, Australia’s inimitable Geoffrey Robertson charts his progress from pimply state schoolboy to top Old Bailey barrister and thence onwards and upwards to a leading role in the struggle for human rights throughout the world. He wryly observes the absurdities of growing up as one of ‘Ming’s kids’; the passion of student protest in the sixties and his early crusades for ‘Down Under-dogs’, before leaving on a Rhodes Scholarship to combat the British establishment, with the help of John Mortimer of ‘Rumpole’ fame. There are dramatic accounts of fighting for lives on death rows, freeing dissidents and taking on tyrants, armed only with a unique mind and a passion for justice – on display whenever he boomeranged back to Australia to conduct Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals. His is an amazing life story of David and Goliath battles – riveting, laugh-out-loud tales filled with romance and danger, featuring a cast of characters ranging from General Pinochet to Pee-Wee Herman; from Malcolm Turnbull to Mike Tyson; from Nigella Lawson to Kathy Lette and Julian Assange. Throughout his exploits – recounted here with irreverent humour and dashes of true wisdom – Geoffrey Robertson has remained determinedly independent and his own man. He has also, in respect of human rights, changed the way we think.
