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I was given a copy of the secret barristers book a while ago, haven't got round to reading it yet, do you know if it is any good\realistic by any chance?
Edit: Are YOU the secret barrister?!
Sam_w-
I was given a copy of the secret barristers book a while ago, haven't got round to reading it yet, do you know if it is any good\realistic by any chance?
It's very good. It's more of a critique of the current justice system rather than an insight into life at the bar, but it's a very powerful read.
Edit: Are YOU the secret barrister?!
Nope. I don't do criminal law. My only involvement in criminal law was doing a plea in mitigation for a careless driving offence nearly 20 years ago. During which I proved I didn't really know what I was doing by appearing robed in a magistrates' court.
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I have 2 uncles who are / were (one has retired due to reaching the cut-off age) criminal law judges (and silks before they became judges). Both rate the secret barrister very highly. Both of them have spent a large amount of time trawling through cases to try to find out who the secret barrister is (as has a lot of their profession). There is apparently a general consensus as to a handful of people it could be but the only person who really knows is the secret barrister. FWIW I think even if it were widely known in the profession who the secret barrister is everyone in the know would keep schtum because the book is seen as a very accurate and important critique of the way the legal system is at present, for example one of my uncles never wanted to be a judge but he was essentially forced into it when the government decided they weren't going to pay silk's rates for legal aid in criminal cases (this was the bulk of his work).
Brommers
Bobbo
In Your Defence by Sarah Langford is a good insight into life at the criminal bar. Not sure there's really any equivalent novel about life at the Chancery bar. Probably because it's too boring.