Standing Accused - The Organization and Practices of Criminal Defence Lawyers in Britain (Hardcover, New)

Criminal cases are commonly seen as a fight between adversaries of equal strength: the intrusive power of the State versus skilled defence lawyers advocating their clients' cause. The reality, according to this major new study, is rather different. The provision of defence counsel is often rudimentary and unsatisfactory. Based upon one of the largest studies of legal professional practice ever undertaken, involving nearly fifty solicitors' firms, this book offers a critical examination of the practices and organisation of defence lawyers in Britain from the moment of initial contact with clients through to the routine preparation and representation of defendants in both Magistrates' and Crown Courts, the authors show how defence lawyers discharge their obligations to clients. For the first time, this study reveals the role of paralegals and unqualified staff in providing defence assistance, and highlights how their inexperience and assumption of their client's guilt can critically undermine defendants' rights. The deficiencies highlighted by their research leads the authors to question the effectiveness of recent liberal and managerial reforms, with their excessive reliance on market-led considerations. The authors propose a cultural transformation in criminal defence work, a reassertion of the defendants' rights within an adversarial system, and offer constructive suggestions for improving defence services. Extensively researched and documented, this study is a major contribution to current debates about the criminal justice system, and as such will be required reading for all lawyers, scholars and professionals interested in the administration of justice.

General

Imprint:	Clarendon Press
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Oxford Monographs on Criminal Law and Justice
Release date:	October 2003
First published:	April 1994
Authors:	Mike McConville (Professor of Law) • Jacqueline Hodgson (Lecturer in Law) • Lee Bridges (Senior Research Fellow) • Anita Pavlovic (former Research Associate)
Dimensions:	241 x 162 x 24mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	328
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-825868-1
Categories:	Books > Law > Laws of other jurisdictions & general law > Civil law (general works) Books > Law > Jurisprudence & general issues > Legal profession > General Books > Law > Laws of other jurisdictions & general law > Courts & procedure > General
LSN:	0-19-825868-2
Barcode:	9780198258681

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