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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.
secre's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Sarah Langford offers the reader eleven cases that she has worked on in her time as a barrister. The cases are wide and varied; she isn't specialising in one type of case at all. The cases span from burglary to 'cottaging' or gross indecency, from parental disputes about where a child should live to cases where the state is petitioning to remove a child from a parent's care. From an abuse victim trying to keep her child from her abuser to two kids trying to cover for their mother's drug dealing, to a young man found with images of child paedophilia in droves.
It's compellingly written, clear and concise yet with a knack for story telling. Some of the cases are eye opening, some heart wrenching and in so many you see a system that is struggling to cope with the case load and people being failed. This was never clearer than in the case of Maggie, a mother who'd had one child removed from her care and was desperate to do anything to keep her second child. Langford doesn't pull her punches, critiquing the social care system that is quick to judge and remove children rather than spending the time to help the parent learn and grow. She notes that the local authorities are all too willing to spend money on experts to prove that the parent can't parent, yet won't spend a fraction of the amount in trying to help them learn to do so. And in cases like Maggie's, it results in parents having multiple children back to back, only for them all to be taken by the state because nobody cared enough to teach them basic life skills.
Langford is equally scathing of how the justice system treats people like cogs; such as in the cottaging case, where the accused requested a private hearing only to be denied because of accountability and public interest. But with such sensitive cases, the burden on the accused from the accusation alone may be enough to break them if put in the public sphere. It's eye-opening and heart-breaking both. There's also an edge of humour at times and a glimpse into some of the darker realities Langford has crossed paths with; sometimes people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other times, people who are so far into the rut of their own cyclic behaviour that it seems nothing will shake them.
All in all, an eye-opening and enlightening read that's accessible and worth reading.
It's compellingly written, clear and concise yet with a knack for story telling. Some of the cases are eye opening, some heart wrenching and in so many you see a system that is struggling to cope with the case load and people being failed. This was never clearer than in the case of Maggie, a mother who'd had one child removed from her care and was desperate to do anything to keep her second child. Langford doesn't pull her punches, critiquing the social care system that is quick to judge and remove children rather than spending the time to help the parent learn and grow. She notes that the local authorities are all too willing to spend money on experts to prove that the parent can't parent, yet won't spend a fraction of the amount in trying to help them learn to do so. And in cases like Maggie's, it results in parents having multiple children back to back, only for them all to be taken by the state because nobody cared enough to teach them basic life skills.
Langford is equally scathing of how the justice system treats people like cogs; such as in the cottaging case, where the accused requested a private hearing only to be denied because of accountability and public interest. But with such sensitive cases, the burden on the accused from the accusation alone may be enough to break them if put in the public sphere. It's eye-opening and heart-breaking both. There's also an edge of humour at times and a glimpse into some of the darker realities Langford has crossed paths with; sometimes people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other times, people who are so far into the rut of their own cyclic behaviour that it seems nothing will shake them.
All in all, an eye-opening and enlightening read that's accessible and worth reading.
proseamongstthorns's review
informative
3.0
I enjoyed this. It was an interesting insight into life as a lawyer and the work that goes into it. But I almost wanted more time with each case and more detail, although I understand why that couldn’t happen.
dulcie's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the human aspect, loved the story telling, loved the empathy the author had for her clients. I would have liked it to be a bit more political, especially at the end.