2nd of July 2008 - Called To The Bar

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E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com

2nd of July 2008

FOR PUBLICATION:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR


Dear Sir,

CALLED TO THE BAR

Timothy Dutton QC, Chairman of the Bar Council, predictably moans in today's Guardian about the portrayal of his profession in the BBC's Criminal Justice serial.

He makes much of the myth, and it is such as any barrister will tell you (when in their cups), that "Counsel's first duty is to the court and to the interests of justice".

This probably should be the case when a barrister is being remunerated from the public purse. However, when a client is paying out of their own pocket, the successful barrister (who is, after all, little more than an overpaid rent-a-gob) soon realises that their first duty is to their client!

Sincerely,



John Eoin Douglas