header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
13 April 2018 / Chris Dale
Issue: 7788 / Categories: Features , Profession , Criminal
printer mail-detail

​Book review: Stories of the Law and How it’s Broken

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
nlj_7788_backpage

“The depressing thing about this book is the clarity with which SB shows that many people beyond the complainant suffer needlessly at the hands of the criminal justice system” 

Author: The Secret Barrister 
ISBN: 9781509841103 
RRP: £16.99
Order via www.thesecretbarrister.com or pick up a copy from all good bookshops 

Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken, by the anonymous author known as The Secret Barrister (SB), describes the present appalling state of the criminal justice system and is one of those books which make you hate politicians. The decisions which underlie the conditions described in the book are the product of more than just budget-cutting; ideology and ignorance play their part, along with a cynical calculation about who votes for what. 

Most of us would confidently assert (or at least assume) that we will never fall victim to the criminal justice system. ‘Victim?’ you ask. There are victims of crime (or complainants who claim to be victims of alleged crimes, as we should

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Burnout behind the billable hour
Behind the profession’s polished exterior, lawyers are ‘internally drained rather than physically tired’, according to a stark assessment of burnout in legal practice
NLJ this week: Domestic abuse reforms still falling short
Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
NLJ this week: Uber’s legal shield faces scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
NLJ this week: Is it finally time to scrap Part III?
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
NLJ this week: Hereditary peers era finally comes to an end
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll