Reviews

Paul Magrath reviews the second volume of Peter Murphy’s  entertaining short stories about the Resident Judge of Bermondsey Crown Court This second volume of short stories about Charlie Walden, the resident judge of Bermondsey Crown Court, confirms his status as one of the enduring characters of legal fiction. But although the tales are told with… Continue reading

Depictions of the English legal system in art are rather less common than, say, its appearances in legal dramas or novels. This is surprising, given the opportunities it affords for the study of human nature in crisis. But one artist who has done justice to the subject is the 19th century British painter, Abraham Solomon. “Waiting for… Continue reading

Richard Barr wrote a regular column for the  Solicitors Journal for many years. Now the best of his musings on life as a solicitor in a country firm have now been collected into a book, mysteriously titled The Savage Poodle. Review by Paul Magrath. According to his publishers, Richard Barr is a clinical negligence lawyer with… Continue reading

Reviewed by Paul Magrath His Honour Judge Walden is the resident judge (RJ) at Bermondsey Crown Court. This means that as well as conducting an unusually interesting variety of cases, he has to manage the court staff and facilities, and juggle the lists to ensure a fair distribution of work to his judicial colleagues –… Continue reading

The UK Supreme Court welcomes visitors from all over the world. But, says the blurb on the back of this delightful book by artist and blogger Isobel Williams, one important audience has been overlooked: bears. So they have produced their own guide, which is reviewed here by Paul Magrath.… Continue reading

“Judge not, lest ye be judged” goes the Biblical saying. But what happens when the judge himself is under suspicion? This is the awful prospect facing a recently appointed High Court judge in Peter Murphy’s absorbing new courtroom thriller, Calling Down the Storm. Reviewed by Paul Magrath. In the pages of this novel, notorious historical… Continue reading

Antony Lentin’s life of Henry Alfred McCardie, published in the centenary year of his appointment to the High Court Bench, offers a fascinating portrait of a judicial figure whose reforming judgments have stood the test of time rather better than some of the public pronouncements that brought him fame and notoriety in his own day. … Continue reading