Cases in Court

Out of Print

Cases in Court is a personal account of his most memorable trials by a great British barrister whose name was world-famous. In all of the cases described he played a leading part.

Here, as he writes in his preface, arc " pictures of the litigants themselves : just ordinary human beings seeking redress against their wrongs, real or imaginary; men and women struggling to protect their reputa¬tions and perhaps their lives."

There are five notorious murder trials, including:-

• The Case of the Blazing Car
• The Case of the Hooded Man
• and the extraordinary case of Mrs. Barney;

Six trials for libel or slander, including:-

• the action brought by a Russian Princess against a film corporation,
• The Case of the Three Sisters
• The Case of the Illuminating Dot,
• and "The Case of the Talking Mongoose;
• and ten other miscellaneous cases that were headlined in their day.

At the end of the book the author briefly discusses good and bad advocacy, and answers some interesting questions that arc often asked about a barrister's profession.

Sir Patrick Hastings (1880-1952) had to leave school at Chartcrhousc at the age of 16 for financial reasons and took a job as a navvy on a mining project in North Wales. After serving in the South African War, he studied law and worked as a dramatic critic. He was called to the Bar in 1904 and soon made his mark, becoming a K.C. in 1919.

He entered Parliament in 1922 and was appointed Attorncy General in the first Labour Government. Owing to bad health he gave up politics in 1926 and returned to his practice at the Bar, achieving vast success. Besides contributing frequently to the Press, he wrote his autobiography and a number of plays, several of which were filmed.