Full of hilarious and shocking stories, the Secret Barrister’s memoir Nothing But The Truth tracks their transformation from hang ’em and flog ’em austerity-supporter to celebrated, campaigning, bestselling author.

‘Masterful, compassionate and hilarious’ – Adam Rutherford

In a diary that takes us behind the scenes of their middling ambition, Nothing But The Truth charts the progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar. By way of the painfully archaic traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the monarch, and the Hunger Games-style contest for pupillage – which most don’t survive . . . here is the brilliant reality of being a frustrated junior barrister.

With a keen eye for the absurd and an obsessive fondness for Twitter, the Secret Barrister reveals the uncomfortable truths and darkest secrets about life in our criminal courts.

Writing as S. J. Fleet, The Secret Barrister’s first novel, The Cut Throat Trial, is available for pre-order now.
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‘Words tumble out with extraordinary fluency . . . entertaining and instructive’ – The Times
‘Written with compassion, wit and intelligence’ – TLS
‘Excellent . . . a cringe-inducing account of one barrister’s travails’ – The Telegraph

_{Nothing But The Truth was a Sunday Times besteller w/c 28.05.23}

‘The SB is a gifted writer. Words tumble out with extraordinary fluency . . . entertaining and instructive’ – The Times
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Just how do you become a barrister? Why do only 1 per cent of those who study law succeed in joining this mysteriously opaque profession? And why might a practising barrister come to feel the need to reveal the lies, secrets, failures and crises at the heart of this world of wigs and gowns?

Nothing But The Truth is The Secret Barrister’s bestselling memoir. It charts an outsider’s progress down the winding path towards practising at the Bar, taking in the sometimes absurd traditions of the Inns of Court, where every meal mandates a glass of port and a toast to the monarch, to the Hunger Games-style contest for pupillage, through the endlessly frustrating experience of being a junior barrister – as a creaking, ailing justice system begins to convince them that something has to change . . .

Full of hilarious, shocking and surprising stories, Nothing But The Truth tracks the Secret Barrister’s transformation from hang ’em and flog ’em, austerity-supporting twenty-something to campaigning, bestselling, reforming author whose writing in defence of the law is celebrated around the globe. Asking questions about what we understand by justice and what it takes to change our minds, it also reveals the darker side of working in criminal law and how the things our justice system gets wrong are not the things most people expect.
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‘With compassion, wit and intelligence, The Secret Barrister shows why is it that any of us plunge into the harrowing depths of criminal law’ – TLS

‘The Zorro of the criminal bar’ – The Times

– Did an illegal immigrant avoid deportation because he had a cat?
– Is the law on the side of the burglar who enters your home?
– Are unelected judges ‘enemies of the people’?

Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we even think of it at all. But the law touches every area of our lives: from intimate family matters to the biggest issues in our society.

Our unfamiliarity is dangerous because it makes us vulnerable to media spin, political lies and the kind of misinformation that frequently comes from loud-mouthed amateurs and those with vested interests. This ‘fake law’ allows the powerful and the ignorant to corrupt justice without our knowledge – worse, we risk letting them make us complicit.

Thankfully, the Secret Barrister is back to reveal the stupidity, malice and incompetence behind many of the biggest legal stories of recent years. In Fake Law, the Secret Barrister debunks the lies and builds a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy that is as entertaining as it is vital.