Defending the Guilty

NOW A MAJOR BBC COMEDY "As a criminal barrister, you work with the material you get: a junkie shoplifter with thirty-five previous convictions and four packs of Lidl's frozen chicken stuffed down his trousers is heading only one way . . ." ___________________ Every day, Alex McBride stands up in court and, with nothing but quick-thinking, sharp-talking and his hard-won legal expertise, attempts to save people from criminal conviction, prison, even a lifetime behind bars. Sometimes he's had only a few hours to prepare his case. Sometimes his client is obviously guilty. In this hilarious, heart-stopping memoir, he takes us behind the scenes of Britain's criminal justice system - in barristers' chambers, the courtroom, the cells - introducing us to its outlandish personalities, arcane eccentricities and its many moving stories of triumph and defeat. Throughout McBride attempts to answer that most important question: how do we ensure that the guilty are convicted and the innocent walk free? ___________________ 'Gripping, engaging, compelling. The real life of criminal barristers is expertly caught' Literary Review 'Terrific. McBride details his own cock-ups and disasters with the relish of the born humorous writer. Very funny' Daily Mail 'An excellent blend of anecdote and more serious discussion' Tom Bingham, author of The Rule of Law