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dear_old_world's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Such an illuminating read for someone like me who has never had to interact with the courts!
illyanadallas222's review against another edition
5.0
“I had forgotten one of the most important lessons my job had taught me. There was no one truth, there was no one story. Instead there were, behind every case, just webs of messy lives. To look for the truth in a case was to forget my role. It was my responsibility to guide those who came my way as best I could through the law and its systems, with humanity and empathy. It was my job to give them, as far as I was able, what they wanted. And I must try to do this even when what they wanted was not always, in the end, actually justice.”
Sarah Langford, barrister navigates the reader through an anthology of the most profound cases that effected her life in the criminal justice system of England and Wales. As a law student, her stories hit very close to home. She represents throughout her duration, the ‘criminals’ that the english government proudly declares the villains within society and the cure would be to simply “come down hard on crime”. But as legal professionals, the first lesson we all learn, is that you cannot fight crime with crime and that crime within a society is a symptom and a byproduct of an system that defendants did not always have access to. Landlord through grace and wit, argues this thesis throughout her anthology, and had me gripping till the very end.
I cannot wait to read her second book that is projected to come out, hopefully within the very near future ;)
Sarah Langford, barrister navigates the reader through an anthology of the most profound cases that effected her life in the criminal justice system of England and Wales. As a law student, her stories hit very close to home. She represents throughout her duration, the ‘criminals’ that the english government proudly declares the villains within society and the cure would be to simply “come down hard on crime”. But as legal professionals, the first lesson we all learn, is that you cannot fight crime with crime and that crime within a society is a symptom and a byproduct of an system that defendants did not always have access to. Landlord through grace and wit, argues this thesis throughout her anthology, and had me gripping till the very end.
I cannot wait to read her second book that is projected to come out, hopefully within the very near future ;)
scytmo's review
5.0
I found the insight that this book provides on the role of the barrister, and the real and profound impact a barrister can have on the lives of those they represent, fascinating and moving. Sarah Langford’s compassion comes through in every story, and my only regret is that she is no longer a barrister.
maggieshalloe's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 - I really enjoyed reading about the law from the point of view of someone in the profession. The flaws and injustices in the legal system are highlighted well, and Langford comes across as being quite warm and empathetic when faced with such. I enjoyed that each chapter was a different person, and I don’t think I’ll forget any of their stories in a hurry.