The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken    Anonymous   Picador 2018



I read this in September 2019. As the writer indicates, knowledge about the legal system
in England and Wales, is lacking among most of the population. With the foundation
of a blog the writer had been publishing, she/he sets out to explain it and to describe
the issues which it faces today. For example, trial by jury epitomizes the system, but accounts
for only 1% of trials.

Although she/he indicates the drawbacks of the system, which is based on an adversarial style,
described as, "adversarial combat between two legally qualified proxies", she/he still feels it to
be less risky than the "inquisitorial" approach used in many countries, where she/he feels that
the state can be given too much power and there may not be enough limits when mistakes are
made or power is misused.

However, for me, the most disconcerting facts which the writer reveals are the financial cutbacks,
which have had negative effects on the system, whether it is people's access to legal aid, police
manpower reductions, cuts in the budget of the Crown Prosecution Service, or outsourcing of
aspects like probation and interpreting in court. There is also a strong focus on the tabloid media's
simplistic and selective use of information when criticizing points such as sentencing.

A well-written and cogent explanation of the system from a true insider.

See other books which I have read.