Law – The Bell Bookshop

Throwing the book

Emma — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Wayne Barnes – one of the most-experienced international referees in history and criminal barrister to boot – uniquely lifts the lid on a lifetime of trying to keep the biggest names in the sport on best behaviour.

There aren’t many people who can say they’ve been the thirty-first man on the pitch during a World Cup humdinger, Grand Slam decider or Premiership and European Cup final; listened to the sobs of a 20-stone prop as he tries to belt out his national anthem; heard the crunch of bones after some of the mightiest hits known to the game; or been yards away from the greatest players of the last twenty years, doing almost impossible things with a rugby ball – especially when you’re a working-class lad from the Forest of Dean, wondering how you ever got there in the first place.

Candid, humble and warmly told, Throwing the Book is a definitive account of what it means to be a rugby referee and a love letter to the sport that has provided Wayne with so much. Covering his childhood days, family life, career highs and lows, side-step into law, as well as what’s next in store for Wayne both on and off the pitch, this book reveals the man behind the referee for the very first time.

Serious when it needs to be, but also rich in good humour and humanity, Throwing the Book is a memoir to remember.

The power in the people

Emma — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

‘A lifetime spend fighting the powers that be and turning personal pain into collective power.
Take care of this book because you are holding our history in your hands.’ – LOWKEY

‘Michael Mansfield is the greatest civil liberties lawyer this country has ever produced’ – Baroness HELENA KENNEDY of the Shaws KC

‘Michael Mansfield has given power to the voiceless, the innocents … For this, he too is a hero’ – JOHN PILGER

‘Michael Mansfield combines rare humanity with a brilliant understanding of the law’ – JON SNOW

‘A book of great importance … Mr Mansfield’s thoughtful reflections demand our attention’ – KEN LOACH

‘An impressive and inspiring read’ – DUNCAN CAMPBELL

‘I want this book to inspire people, give them a blueprint for fighting their own battles, and challenge the status quo. To see that together, we are always stronger. To understand that those who stand in the way of change cannot do so forever.’ Michael Mansfield, KC

Barrister Michael Mansfield, KC, has spent his career fighting injustice, persecution and corruption. And be it the Birmingham Six, Bloody Sunday, Stephen Lawrence, the Marchioness, Hillsborough or Grenfell, he has come to learn one thing – that people power is unstoppable.

Time and again he has witnessed governments, police forces, legal institutions and the establishment, try to block change and maintain the status quo in order to protect their interests. But almost every time he has seen that passion, perseverance, collectivity and courage create a powerful momentum which is increasingly difficult to stop.

In this short but powerful book, the veteran barrister draws upon his 50 years of fighting for justice and revisits his most important cases and clients, proving without doubt that when people get together they can make lasting and positive change.

The power is in the people – not the people in power.

The Great Post Office Scandal

Emma — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

On 23rd April 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 39 former SubPostmasters and ruled their prosecutions were an affront to the public conscience. For some it was the end of a 20 year battle for justice - and tragically three of them did not live long enough to see their reputations restored. It is a scandal that has been described as one of the most widespread and significant miscarriages of justice in UK legal history.

Power and Liberty

Emma — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gordon S. Wood elucidates the debates over the founding documents of the United States.The half century extending from the imperial crisis between Britain and its colonies in the 1760s to the early decades of the new republic of the United States was the greatest and most creative era of constitutionalism in American history, and perhaps in the world. During these decades, Americans explored and debated all aspects of politics and constitutionalism-the nature of power, liberty, representation, rights, the division of authority between different spheres of government,sovereignty, judicial authority, and written constitutions. The results of these issues produced institutions that have lasted for over two centuries.In this new book, eminent historian Gordon S. Wood distills a lifetime of work on constitutional innovations during the Revolutionary era. In concise form, he illuminates critical events in the nation’s founding, ranging from the imperial debate that led to the Declaration of Independence to the revolutionary state constitution making in 1776 and the creation of the Federal Constitution in 1787. Among other topics, he discusses slavery and constitutionalism, the emergence of the judiciary asone of the major tripartite institutions of government, the demarcation between public and private, and the formation of states’ rights.Here is an immensely readable synthesis of the key era in the making of the history of the United States, presenting timely insights on the Constitution and the nation’s foundational legal and political documents.

In Black and White

Emma — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

**PAPERBACK FEATURES NEW CONTENT. NOW WITH AFTERWORD AND READING GROUP QUESTIONS**

‘A compelling and courageous memoir forcing the legal profession to confront uncomfortable truths about race and class. Alexandra Wilson is a bold and vital voice. This is a book that urgently needs to be read by everyone inside, and outside, the justice system.’ THE SECRET BARRISTER

‘A riveting book in the best tradition of courtroom dramas but from the fresh perspective of a young female mixed-race barrister. That Alexandra is “often” mistaken for the defendant shows how important her presence at the bar really is.’ MATT RUDD, THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

Alexandra Wilson was a teenager when her dear family friend Ayo was stabbed on his way home from football. Ayo’s death changed Alexandra. She felt compelled to enter the legal profession in search of answers.

As a junior criminal and family law barrister, Alexandra finds herself navigating a world and a set of rules designed by a privileged few. A world in which fellow barristers sigh with relief when a racist judge retires: ‘I’ve got a black kid today and he would have had no hope’.

In her debut book, In Black and White, Alexandra re-creates the tense courtroom scenes, the heart-breaking meetings with teenage clients, and the moments of frustration and triumph that make up a young barrister’s life.

Alexandra shows us how it feels to defend someone who hates the colour of your skin, or someone you suspect is guilty. We see what it is like for children coerced into county line drug deals and the damage that can be caused when we criminalise teenagers.

Alexandra’s account of what she has witnessed as a young mixed-race barrister is in equal parts shocking, compelling, confounding and powerful.

‘An inspirational, clear-eyed account of life as a junior barrister is made all the more exceptional by the determination, passion, humanity and drive of the author. Anyone interested in seeing how the law really works should read it.‘
SARAH LANGFORD

‘This is the story of a young woman who overcame all the obstacles a very old profession could throw at her, and she survived, with her integrity intact.’
BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

‘Wilson offers a role model for those who still think the law is for other people, and shows the way for English courts to become ever less Dickensian.’
DAVID COWAN, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT