Product Description

Every day, in every court and tribunal, advocates represent us all - Crown and defendant, landlord and tenant, rich and poor, honest and false alike. What are the duties to court and client? This book surveys the role of advocates at every stage of their work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182136 in Books
• Published on: 1993-08-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Richard du Cann (1929-1994) was a barrister and QC.

Customer Reviews

Absolutely fantastic read for all aspiring advocates.
The book is only partially a guide. It is a guide, historian and examination of the profession with a wealth of examples from all eras. The focus is on conditions in England but could serve commonwealth practitioners. The approach taken examining duties and options open to advocates in many circumstances and functions refuses to proscribe methodology. Instead various methods are exemplified and appraised - rarely resorting to 'dos and don'ts'. The style is always a lofty but friendly admiration for the advocate who in all other situations must maintain modesty.

The examples are taken mostly from Lasky's Case, the Peasonhall murder and The Herald of the Free Enterprise enquiry but weaves in many other speches made by Carson, Hall, Wild, Clarke and other great advocates and orators.

For an indepth examination, there is no better discussion of the art of advocacy. If you are after a handbook or guide, I would advise Iain Morley's 'Devil's Advocate', which comes close to a summary of 'Art of the Advocate'.

A layman's view
I would rate this as highly as Learning the Law (1970) by Glanville Williams. This should have a wide readership and is very well written. For a layman who doesnt have to learn these damned principles, you can dip in and out of it.

Famous cases are reviewed from their forensic interest and a layman is intrigued to know how one gets hold of the transcripts. There will be just ten lines from a case but easily enough to whet the appetite. Palmer (the only Barts man to be hanged for murder) features, along with Crippen. Marshall Hall gets a lot of coverage - he was a famous advocate [to the non law reader]by the way, not a criminal.

Should lawyers lie inn court ? There are moments of hilarity unintended by the author, more hilarious to me having seen lawyers lie and nothing done about it, but everyone knows, hell, the English Legal System isnt perfect.