Could the courts really order the death of your innocent baby? Was there an illegal immigrant who couldn't be deported because he had a pet cat? Are unelected judges truly enemies of the people?

Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we even think of it at all. But the law touches every area of our lives: from intimate family matters to the biggest issues in our society.

Our unfamiliarity is dangerous because it makes us vulnerable to media spin, political lies and the kind of misinformation that frequently comes from loud-mouthed amateurs and those with vested interests. This 'fake law' allows the powerful and the ignorant to corrupt justice without our knowledge – worse, we risk letting them make us complicit.

Thankfully, the Secret Barrister is back to reveal the stupidity, malice and incompetence behind many of the biggest legal stories of recent years. In Fake Law, the Secret Barrister debunks the lies and builds a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy that is as entertaining as it is vital.

The Sunday Times bestseller and a BBC Radio 4 ‘Book of the Week‘ Full of hilarious and shocking stories, the Secret Barrister's memoir Nothing But The Truth tracks their transformation from hang 'em and flog 'em austerity-supporter to celebrated, campaigning, bestselling author. 'Masterful, compassionate and hilarious' – Adam Rutherford In a diary that takes us behind the scenes of their middling ambition, Nothing But The Truth charts an outsider's progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar. By way of the painfully archaic traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the monarch, and the Hunger Games-style contest for pupillage - which most don't survive - here is the brilliant reality of being a frustrated junior barrister. With a keen eye for the absurd and an obsessive fondness for Twitter, SB reveals the uncomfortable truths and darkest secrets about life in our criminal courts. _____ ‘Words tumble out with extraordinary fluency . . . entertaining and instructive’ – The Times ‘Written with compassion, wit and intelligence’ – TLS ‘Excellent . . . at once a vicious polemic, a helpful primer and a cringe-inducing account of one barrister's travails' – The Telegraph

From the Number One bestselling author, a delicious memoir full of hilarious, personal and surprising stories from their working life in the law. * The Sunday Times Bestseller * * A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week* 'The SB is a gifted writer. Words tumble out with extraordinary fluency . . . entertaining and instructive' - The Times __________ Just how do you become a barrister? Why do only 1 per cent of those who study law succeed in joining this mysteriously opaque profession? And why might a practising barrister come to feel the need to reveal the lies, secrets, failures and crises at the heart of this world of wigs and gowns? Nothing But The Truth is The Secret Barrister's bestselling memoir. It charts an outsider's progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar, taking in the sometimes absurd traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the monarch, to the Hunger Games-style contest for pupillage, through the endlessly frustrating experience of being a junior barrister - as a creaking, ailing justice system begins to convince them that something has to change . . . Full of hilarious, shocking and surprising stories, Nothing But The Truth tracks the Secret Barrister's transformation from hang 'em and flog 'em, austerity-supporting twenty-something to campaigning, bestselling, reforming author whose writing in defence of the law is celebrated around the globe. Asking questions about what we understand by justice and what it takes to change our minds, it also reveals the darker side of working in criminal law and how the things our justice system gets wrong are not the things most people expect. __________ 'With compassion, wit and intelligence, The Secret Barrister shows why is it that any of us plunge into the harrowing depths of criminal law' - TLS 'Masterful, compassionate and hilarious' - Adam Rutherford 'The Zorro of the criminal bar' - The Times

Just how do you become a barrister? And why do only 1 per cent of those who study law succeed in joining this mysteriously opaque profession? If it's such a great occupation, how come you work 100-hour weeks for less than minimum wage? And why might a practising barrister come to feel the need to reveal the lies, secrets, failures and crises at the heart of this world of wigs and gowns? Nothing But The Truth charts an outsider's progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar, taking in the sometimes absurd traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the Queen, to the Hunger Games-type contest for pupillage, through the endlessly frustrating experience of being a junior barrister - as a creaking, ailing justice system begins to convince them that something has to change . . . Full of hilarious, shocking, and surprising stories from their working life, Nothing But The Truth tracks the Secret Barrister's transformation from hang 'em and flog 'em, austerity-supporting twenty-something to campaigning, bestselling, reforming author whose writing in defence of the law is celebrated around the globe. It asks questions about what we understand by justice, and what it takes to change our minds. It also reveals the darker side of working in criminal law, and how the things our justice system gets wrong are not the things most people expect. Praise for the Secret Barrister . . . 'Dishes the dirt - or serves up a slice of reality - on what barristers do' - The Times 'An illuminating and timely insight into the legal system . . . fascinating' - Sunday Express 'Excellent . . . at once a vicious polemic, a helpful primer and a cringe-inducing account of one barrister's travails' - Daily Telegraph

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Eye-opening, damning and hilarious' Tim Shipman, author of All Out War and Fall Out

“I’m a barrister, a job which requires the skills of a social worker, relationship counsellor, arm-twister, hostage negotiator, named driver, bus fare-provider, accountant, suicide watchman, coffee-supplier, surrogate parent and, on one memorable occasion, whatever the official term is for someone tasked with breaking the news to a prisoner that his girlfriend has been diagnosed with gonorrhoea.”

Welcome to the world of the Secret Barrister. These are the stories of life inside the courtroom. They are sometimes funny, often moving and ultimately life-changing.

How can you defend a child-abuser you suspect to be guilty? What do you say to someone sentenced to ten years who you believe to be innocent? What is the law and why do we need it?

And why do they wear those stupid wigs?

From the criminals to the lawyers, the victims, witnesses and officers of the law, here is the best and worst of humanity, all struggling within a broken system which would never be off the front pages if the public knew what it was really like.

Both a searing first-hand account of the human cost of the criminal justice system, and a guide to how we got into this mess, The Secret Barrister wants to show you what it’s really like and why it really matters.