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08 August 2019 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7852 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession , Legal services
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All for one & one for all? Not quite

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Jon Robins salutes SB for shining a light on the dark underbelly of modern legal practice

‘I am Secret Barrister,’ went the cry. The anonymous blogger seemed to speak for the entire beleaguered criminal defence profession. SB’s book was a message that all lawyers could rally behind to protest the government’s wrecking ball.

One book might well prove more effective at explaining the depth of the crisis of our broken justice system than the combined efforts of all the profession’s representative groups in the last 20 years. But because it is very effective public relations doesn’t mean it’s an entirely comfortable read for lawyers.

SB shone an unforgiving light on the dark underbelly of modern legal practice. Not every defence lawyer is a plucky defender of the vulnerable against the overbearing might of the state; not everyone is a legal aid hero. Some are hopeless and others are downright dangerous. Meet Keres & Co: Secret Barrister’s savage depiction of a defence firm whose solicitors (‘amoral

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Commercial law firm announces appointment of corporate partner

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joins corporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

NEWS
Serial sperm donor Robert Albon has lost his bid for a declaration of paternity, ‘on the ground that to grant it would manifestly be contrary to public policy’
The government is considering wholesale reform of consumer class actions—the ‘opt-out’ collective claims certified by the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT)
A ‘sophisticated suspected fraud’ may have taken place at PM Law involving the improper removal and misuse of about £39.5m of client funds, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) will invest in technology to catch tech-reliant fraudsters and handle voluminous case materials
Law firms enjoyed rapid, sector-wide growth in 2025, according to the Law Society’s latest annual Financial Benchmarking Survey
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