Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence

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There are moments of real honesty, when he discusses the changes to the legal aid process in recent years, and why he is no longer able to take new legal aid cases “One reason I won’t take on any new public-funded cases is that the service I could offer would be substandard. I would not be able to instruct the experts I have been instructing for years ... and I would be faced with going to cheaper counterparts who I had less confidence in” He makes a justified argument that a serious and complex case such as murder requires a completely different set of skills and amount of work to a less serious crime such as theft & the remuneration that barristers get for each case should be appropriate.

While "Under the Wig" may be most appealing to readers interested in law or criminal justice, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written memoir. The book is informative, engaging, and emotionally resonant, and it's not hard to see why it has received such high praise.It is not clinical however, and clearly this style of writing reflect how he defends his clients as a lawyer. It is a joy to read because of this, and provides a frank honest look at court proceedings. What a lawyer is. A lawyer is any person with a law degree who has been called to the bar. A solicitor is the person who will give advice and prepare a case up until court proceedings, solicitors do not represent you usually in court. A solicitor-advocate may represent you in court, but more generally this is what a barrister does. A barrister cannot be instructed by a client but only by the solicitor who prepares your case. He may give advice but more usually he will represent you in court. Under the Wig gives an insight into the criminal justice world from the perspective of William Clegg, QC, a judge, barrister, and head of chambers in one of the leading sets for criminal work in the country. I really enjoyed reading this book and how it brings in different perspectives. Clegg provides a highly accessible, straightforward explanation of complex legal areas such as the law around murder, and gets to the heart of principles underlying the principles of our criminal justice system. The opening chapter worked well for me in setting this scene in this regard.

A GHETTO SHOOT-OUT IN JAMAICA. Like other top lawyers, Clegg works pro bono on worthwhile cases. He represents a Jamaican gangster, Marlon Moodie, in his appeal against the death sentence for killing Police Constable Dewar, under the joint enterprise rule. UK Privy Council decides if he should hang

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William Clegg QC is a leading criminal lawyer in London. In this vivid memoir, he revisits his most notorious and intriguing trials, from the acquittal of Colin Stagg to the murder of Jill Dando, to the man given life because of an earprint and the first Nazi war crimes prosecution in the UK. Under the Wig is a memoir of a famous British barrister, William Clegg, whose 40 years experience in criminal law includes defending clients in more than 100 murder trials.