My answer to "how do you defend someone you think is guilty"
An early and essential lesson for those considering a calling to the law.
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Video Transcript
I'm sometimes asked by students thinking
about a career at the bar or by friends
whove got no experience of the law at
all Dominic how is it that you defend
somebody who you think is guilty and
whenever I'm ask that question I always
tell the story of my first ever criminal
trial 20 odd years ago I was sent down
to malaban magistrates Court to defend a
man who was charged with stealing a
frozen meal from Marks and Spencers and
for me at the time um it was the most
important thing that had happened in my
life um and I remember being absolutely
crested foren when I saw the papers in
the case and they consisted of witness
statements from four security guards all
of whom had said they saw I can't
remember his name now Mr Smith walk down
the Frozen aisle at marks and Spencer
select a spaghetti carbonara shove it
down his trousers uh adjust it because
it was cold I supposed and uncomfortable
and walk out of the
shop anyway I got to Marone Magistrate's
court and I said you know is there a Mr
Smith here and this guy came running up
to me and he said o God you my brief and
I said yes I uh yes I am Mr Smith and he
said it's all a fit up the whole damn
thing's a fit up mate and I said well
listen Mr Smith you know if you plead
guilty there's a prospect that I can
keep you out of prison plead guilty he
said plead guilty I'm going to
sack you and I'm going to get another
barister and I thought oh my God I don't
want to get in trouble on my first day
so I said calm down Mr Smith calm down
don't worry if you want to defense you
know I'll defend you as well as anybody
or whatever it was and we went into
court and the trial started and as well
as all my other concerns about where do
I stand where do I sit what do I say
this is my first ever criminal trial I
remember that I was kind of just
embarrassed about Mr Smith's defense
this conspiracy theory that every
security guard wanted to fit him up and
