TO OUTSIDERS – and even some insiders – the workings of an English court are a mystery.
Bewigged and begowned lawyers sit in front of stern-faced judges, squabbling politely over the meaning of arcane words and phrases, swapping carefully-honed insults dressed up as compliments, and baffling witnesses, defendants and – hopefully – jurors in an attempt to secure the guilty or not guilty verdict that they seek.
NO HOLDS BARRED examines a jury trial, as seen through the eyes of the defence advocate.
It takes the reader through the criminal process, from the moment the advocate first meets the accused, to glorious acquittal – or sometimes, sadly, to conviction and sentence. It strips away the mystique surrounding the law, lifting the veil on all the pomp and ceremony, and exposes a lot of the humbug that bedevils a profession which many believe is still ossified in the nineteenth century.
It examines the roles of the various players in the unfolding drama and takes a critical look at the role of the Judge – the central figure in the drama, who has enormous power to control and influence the outcome of the trial. Whether or not that power is excessive, or is wielded in the interests of justice, is another matter. As to that, the jury are still out.
About the Author:
IVOR BIGG-WIGG QC has had a colourful and varied career at the Criminal Bar stretching over many years. He has appeared regularly in many of the Crown Courts in England, although Wales and Birmingham, with their language difficulties, have yet to experience his rapier-like wit.
He specialises in criminal defence work. In his even-handed approach to his vocation, he has his attractors and detractors in equal measure. But, above all, he believes passionately in the right of every defendant to a fair trial, free of prejudice and bigotry, where guilt or innocence is the sole preserve of twelve honest men and true.
In this respect, he sometimes treads a controversial path.
He is happily married, and the father of two incredibly gormless teenagers (black t-shirts and heavy metal) and two delightfully precocious infants.
Bewigged and begowned lawyers sit in front of stern-faced judges, squabbling politely over the meaning of arcane words and phrases, swapping carefully-honed insults dressed up as compliments, and baffling witnesses, defendants and – hopefully – jurors in an attempt to secure the guilty or not guilty verdict that they seek.
NO HOLDS BARRED examines a jury trial, as seen through the eyes of the defence advocate.
It takes the reader through the criminal process, from the moment the advocate first meets the accused, to glorious acquittal – or sometimes, sadly, to conviction and sentence. It strips away the mystique surrounding the law, lifting the veil on all the pomp and ceremony, and exposes a lot of the humbug that bedevils a profession which many believe is still ossified in the nineteenth century.
It examines the roles of the various players in the unfolding drama and takes a critical look at the role of the Judge – the central figure in the drama, who has enormous power to control and influence the outcome of the trial. Whether or not that power is excessive, or is wielded in the interests of justice, is another matter. As to that, the jury are still out.
About the Author:
IVOR BIGG-WIGG QC has had a colourful and varied career at the Criminal Bar stretching over many years. He has appeared regularly in many of the Crown Courts in England, although Wales and Birmingham, with their language difficulties, have yet to experience his rapier-like wit.
He specialises in criminal defence work. In his even-handed approach to his vocation, he has his attractors and detractors in equal measure. But, above all, he believes passionately in the right of every defendant to a fair trial, free of prejudice and bigotry, where guilt or innocence is the sole preserve of twelve honest men and true.
In this respect, he sometimes treads a controversial path.
He is happily married, and the father of two incredibly gormless teenagers (black t-shirts and heavy metal) and two delightfully precocious infants.
