Under the Wig - A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence

by William Clegg

Overview

'Gripping' – The Times

How can you speak up for someone accused of a savage murder?

Or sway a jury?

Or get a judge to drop a case?

William Clegg KC was one of England's most celebrated criminal lawyers.

In this vivid memoir, he revisits his most notorious and intriguing trials, from the acquittal of Colin Stagg to the murder of Jill Dando, to the man given life because of an earprint and the first Nazi war crimes prosecution in the UK.

All the while he lays bare the secrets of his profession, from the rivalry among barristers to the nervous moments before a verdict comes back — and how our right to a fair trial is now at risk. Under the Wig is for anyone who wants to know the reality of a murder trial.

Switch off the TV dramas and plunge into the criminal law in action.

Well-known cases featured:

• The Murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common
• The Chillenden Murders (Dr Lin and Megan Russell)
• The Trial of Private Lee Clegg
• The Murder of Jill Dando
• The first Nazi war crimes prosecution in the UK
• The Murder of Joanna Yeates
• The Rebekah Brooks Phone Hacking Trial

Reviews

'This is 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

'Countless veteran lawyers have produced page-tuners based in the fictional world of law, but in Under the WigWilliam Clegg, KC, has distilled his extraordinary life in the criminal courtroom into a yarn equally as gripping.' — The Times

'From the infamous case of Colin Stagg and the Wimbledon Murders to war crimes in Belarus and Bosnia and the Murdoch phone hacking trials we share and applaud the author's deep commitment to justice and his infectious enthusiasm for one of the world's greatest professions. An absolute must-read for anyone who aspires to join it (and anyone who already has.)' — Bob Marshall-Andrews KC

'Bill Clegg's memoir draws on some of the most high-profile criminal prosecutions of recent years to illuminate the career of a defence lawyer at the peak of his success. Deftly weaving personal reminiscences into the view from counsel's bench, he solves one high-profile murder case long before the police and ensures that justice is finally done in another after the tactics adopted by a better-known KC have led to a miscarriage of justice.' — Joshua Rozenberg KC

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Product Details

BN ID:	2940180445032
Publisher:	Canbury Press
Publication date:	10/04/2018
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	409 KB

About the Author

As London's leading murder case lawyer, William Clegg represented clients at some of the best-known criminal trials in English legal history.

In all during 47 years as a leading advocate, he fought more than 100 murder cases, more than any other barrister currently practising in Britain.

His cases ranged from serial killers to alleged Nazi war criminals to ordinary members of the public innocently caught up in police investigations. They include:

• the Wimbledon Common Murder of Rachel Nickell
• the Chillenden Murders (Dr Lin and Megan Russell)
• the Earprint Murder
• the Murder of Jill Dando
• Private Lee Clegg (Northern Ireland)
• the Murder of Joanna Yeates
• Nazi War Crimes in Britain
• Rebekah Brooks's Phone Hacking Trial
• and International War Crimes Tribunal (Yugoslavia)

When Clegg represented paratrooper Lee Clegg in Belfast, his junior in the long-running appeal case was Keir Starmer, future leader of the Labour Party.

A Queen's Counsel (now King's Counsel), Clegg capped his long-running career at the Bar as head of chambers at 2 Bedford Row in London. He is now retired and lives in Sussex.