Publisher's Synopsis
'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 QC 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, QC, 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 QC
'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 QC have led to a miscarriage of justice.' - Joshua Rozenberg QC
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