Tessa Enster gained scholarships to Cambridge University and learnt how to change her working-class background into a new British middle class one to fit in with her new image of a successful young lawyer. She becomes a young outstanding barrister, super competitive and keen to outshine her colleagues. She appears for the Prosecution and mercilessly interrogates witnesses to break their testimony.
Things change for her when one of her colleagues rapes her and she reports it to the police. In the subsequent court case, she experiences firsthand what it is like to be disbelieved and treated with disrespect by the defendant’s barrister. The defendant is found not guilty. Both his and her future careers are defined by this court case and their brilliant prospects limited.
This expose of the limits of the law is an interesting comment on how lawyers are required to present the best case for their clients: they are not expected to expose the truth. That is the job of the jury, who must decide which of the facts presented best represents the truth.
An interesting read for those who want to look more closely at how the law operates and how “truth”, especially in cases like this one, is a malleable concept.
Meg Dillon
Things change for her when one of her colleagues rapes her and she reports it to the police. In the subsequent court case, she experiences firsthand what it is like to be disbelieved and treated with disrespect by the defendant’s barrister. The defendant is found not guilty. Both his and her future careers are defined by this court case and their brilliant prospects limited.
This expose of the limits of the law is an interesting comment on how lawyers are required to present the best case for their clients: they are not expected to expose the truth. That is the job of the jury, who must decide which of the facts presented best represents the truth.
An interesting read for those who want to look more closely at how the law operates and how “truth”, especially in cases like this one, is a malleable concept.
Meg Dillon
