Was at a Christmas party with a load of clergy last night and as some people were leaving they found a person collapsed on the street outside so the Verger took over and called an ambulance and sent all the clergy away because "if they wake up surrounded by priests that'll just make things worse"

Have just finished listening to the audio book of The Cut Throat Trial by @barristersecret.bsky.social. Absolutely excellent ! It felt like I was there in the room with each of the characters…splendid stuff. I do hope there are more books planned. Well done Sir/Ma’am 👏👏👏👏

Happy Festivus, one and all! May your Feats of Strength be brutal, your aluminium pole undecorated and your Airings of Grievances prolonged. A Festivus for the Rest of Us!

#TheCutThroatTrial is one of @Newsweek’s favourite books for last-minute Christmas gifts. Just saying. You don’t want to be the only one without a copy.

There’s still time to thrust #TheCutThroatTrial into the stockings of those you purport to like, just as Jesus wanted. Links to lots of booksellers - including crazy offers - in next post. 👇

Merry gentlefolk, it is time. Today is the day. Today is comma-mas. Today is the day where we contemplate the correct placing of the comma in 'God rest you merry, gentlemen'. And if we are lucky, we can have a row about it. >

Last call for the perfect Christmas offering for that crime/legal thriller aficionado in your life. Shove #TheCutThroatTrial down their throats, into their stockings or up their earholes. People seem to think it’s a passable read.

Following today’s sentencing of Paul Doyle, several people have understandably queried why he was not banned from driving for life. It’s a good question, and one I attempted to grapple with in #NothingButTheTruth in the context of repeat driving offenders.

NEW A guided tour of President Trump's 33-page, $5 billion lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation How some parts are strong, some parts are weak - and why a strict legalistic analysis will not tell the whole story. By me emptycity.substack.com/p/a-guided-t... (£) at least for now

It’s nearly Christmas! Do you have a person in your life who has, at one time or another, expressed a passing interest in authentic, gritty legal thrillers by bestselling anonymous rabbits? If so, fill their stockings and underwear with this bad boy. Available in links below👇 #TheCutThroatTrial

The Reddit rumours are about to start again, aren’t they?

What’s that, you say? You want to know which debut legal thriller has been named an Apple Best Audiobook of 2025? Narrated by an incredible cast including the almighty Toby Jones? And you want to know where you can get it? Man, those are some good questions. #TheCutThroatTrial

Innocent people end up in our criminal courts. Completely, terrifyingly innocent. And all that stands between them and losing everything is a fair trial. Politicians would do well to remember this when they tell us that justice is all about processing “criminals” swiftly.

The convention in England is that a transcript of police interviews is read out to the jury during a Crown Court trial with the prosecuting barrister and officer in the case playing the interviewing officer & defendant. This one is going to be fun...

What’s that, you say? You want to know which debut legal thriller has been named an Apple Best Audiobook of 2025? Narrated by an incredible cast including the almighty Toby Jones? And you want to know where you can get it? Man, those are some good questions. #TheCutThroatTrial

Thrilled to share my latest paper entitled, "Estimating Discrimination in Sentencing: Distinguishing between Good and Bad Controls" Led by @jpinasanchez.bsky.social, the paper introduces a framework for examining discrimination in criminal justice processes. 🧵 1/10 publicera.kb.se/ejels/articl...

NEW BLOGPOST Abolishing trial by jury: why is the government overlooking the obvious? thesecretbarrister.com/2025/12/02/a...

Legal commentator and author, @barristersecret.bsky.social told Byline Times that David Lammy's plans were “badly thought through, expensive and likely to backfire.” bylinetimes.com/2025/12/03/d...

It’s nearly Christmas! Do you have a person in your life who has, at one time or another, expressed a passing interest in authentic, gritty legal thrillers by bestselling anonymous rabbits? If so, fill their stockings and underwear with this bad boy. Available in links below👇 #TheCutThroatTrial

NEW BLOGPOST Abolishing trial by jury: why is the government overlooking the obvious? thesecretbarrister.com/2025/12/02/a...

As set out in this thread, the causes of the court backlog are chronic lack of funding and absurd inefficiency. The government has made no proposals to address either. Their answer is to remove juries. Rather than fix the leaking roof, their solution is to burn the house down.

Listening to David Lammy on @BBCr4today attempting to justify abolishing trial by jury, it is increasingly and terrifyingly clear that he simply does not understand the issues.

Saving juries by abolishing juries. The absolute state of this.

A Christmassy KC - Day One Four years ago, the good (yes) people of Twitter (yes) responded phenomenally to a request to make my profile photo more Christmassy. To show the low bar for new (non-AI!) entries, we'll start with this *cough* 'naive' art from @sigourneybeaver.bsky.social

This book is brilliant. I predict it’s going to be an Oscar winning movie someday. Gritty. Hard hitting. Twisty and turny. Absolutely superb! Get it for the crime novel loving person in your life today!! @barristersecret.bsky.social bravo 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

perfect column on Nigel Farage's racist, schoolboy past, by @hugorifkind.bsky.social. "The boy haunts the man." www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇

movementforgood.com Please support FRU by nominating us for a £1000 award from the Movement For Good draw which starts on Monday. Our charity registration number is 1183592 and our category is 'Poverty'. It only takes 30 seconds and could make a real difference to our service. #WeDoProBono

Imagine coming up with a proposal so stupid, so unworkable, so thoughtless, that it makes Robert Jenrick look sane by comparison. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I’m on the lookout for barristers that could give up 40 minutes 1310-1350 on one day over next 2 weeks to train a pair of students in public speaking online for Kalisher. No prep required. If you could help please DM me asap.

Just the good, friendly, morale-boosting kind of racism.

The government intends to reduce the right to jury trial. I think this is a bad thing. But what do the judges think? open.substack.com/pub/counselo...

this week's newsletter is titled "aren't you tired of feeling insane all the time?" and I think it speaks for itself it is also free to read youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/arent-you-...

This government has not taken a single meaningful step to tackle the causes of the horrendous inefficiencies in the criminal justice system, instead rushing to dismantle trial by jury. Legal professionals have offered numerous alternatives to address the backlog. Ministers are not listening.

It's been so long since I've read a crime thriller that my investigative skills were getting rusty. This absolute gem—and The Secret Barrister's first novel, no less—is the perfect way to get my heart racing again... without, you know, being the one on trial. @barristersecret.bsky.social

A brief thread on Trump renewing his threat to sue the BBC. (Note I am not an American lawyer, this is perspective of an English legal commentator.) >

NEW The letter the BBC could send back to Trump A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim By me. Enjoy. emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...

Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round

NEW A close look at Trump's $1 billion claim against the BBC The litigation letter is weak, but his underlying practical position is not weak By me: emptycity.substack.com/p/a-close-lo... (Substack) (Non-Substack link to follow.)

New post just out: Why the criminal justice system should be top of No. 10's "shit list". No part of the public sector is more broken or brings with it greater political risk. As we saw these past two weeks. It desperately needs a new approach. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/f...

I feel like I could live with the brass neck - it is the seemingly successful way that he and others have brainwashed themselves into thinking “our crumbling justice system” has an explanation beyond “we didn’t spend enough money on it” that I can’t stand.

When I depart this profession - and I think we all know it’s only a matter of time - let this please be my epitaph.

VOTING HAS STARTED FOR NOVEMBER! Cast your vote now... lawpawcalendar.com/vote-now-for...

Behold my Hallowe’en name.

Buckle up.

Last chance to enter! Send your photographs to [email protected] today!!

Are you ready for Halloween? Terrify trick or treaters with the spectre of an enormous legal bill with our double-headed bat-winged monstrosity and help @savechildrenuk.bsky.social

I apologise for my earlier comments. They were phrased poorly and unintentionally revealed what goes on in my head.