William Clegg revisits his most notorious and intriguing trials, from the murder of Jill Dando to Britain’s first Nazi war criminal. He lays bare the secrets of his profession, from the rivalry among barristers to the nervous moments before a verdict – and argues how our right to a fair trial is now in great peril.

How can you speak up for someone accused of a savage murder? How do you sway a jury? Or get a judge to drop a case?

Meet London’s top murder case lawyer as he meets clients in prisons, confronts witnesses in packed courts and frees innocent people jailed for decades.

In a vivid memoir, William Clegg QC revisits his most notorious and intriguing trials, from the acquittal of Colin Stagg to the murder of Jill Dando, and from Britain’s first Nazi war criminal to the man given life because of an earprint.

All the while he lays bare the secrets of his profession, from the rivalry among barristers to the nervous moments before a verdict — and how our right to a fair trial is now in great peril. Switch off the TV dramas and plunge into the criminal law in action.

William Clegg, QC, is one of the most celebrated advocates at the English bar. A barrister for 47 years, he has been the go-to lawyer for complex murder and fraud cases for decades and has fought over 100 murder cases. He is head of chambers at 2 Bedford Row, one of the four leading criminal sets in London.

Well-known cases featured include Colin Stagg’s trial for The Wimbledon Common Murder, the Murder of Jill Dando, Rebekah Brooks’s Phone Hacking Trial and Defending Britain’s first ‘Nazi war criminal.

A gripping memoir from one of our country’s greatest jury advocates, offering a fascinating, no- holds-barred tour behind the scenes of some of the most famous criminal cases of modern times. The Secret Barrister

Clegg deftly weaves memorable criminal prosecutions into an unforgettable legal memoir. Joshua Rozenberg