EVE WAS FRAMED: WOMEN AND BRITISH JUSTICE by Helena Kennedy

“Eve Was Framed offers an impassioned, personal critique of the British legal system. Helena Kennedy focuses on the treatment of women in our courts - at the prejudices of judges, the misconceptions of jurors, the labyrinths of court procedures and the influence of the media. But the inequities she uncovers could apply equally to any disadvantaged group - to those whose cases are subtly affected by race, class poverty or politics, or who are burdened, even before they appear in court, by misleading stereotypes.”

What is the background for the issue in the book?

Helena Kennedy, the author, decided to write this book because she felt like most people didn’t actually know about the law and didn’t realise that, although the legal system in the UK is believed to be one of the fairest in the world, women still face a disadvantage during a trial. Everybody believes that judges are fair to everyone and that there is no discrimination in a court of law, however this is not the truth and in fact people are discriminated against even today and more people need to be aware of that. 

What are the main arguments of the book?

One of the main arguments of the book is her opinion on the injustices that women, and other disadvantaged groups, face at court and talks about her experiences as a very successful female barrister and how she witnessed this treatment through her own eyes. She discussed how the law affects different groups in society. She focuses on not just how the law treats women, but how it treats specific groups of women that have further disadvantages: black poor women, women, and other groups. She discusses how badly they have been treated by our legal system and still are today. 

Another argument of the book is how inequality is a huge problem and how to solve it. Helena Kennedy suggests that we need to recognise that the experiences that most women go through are very different to those of men and that the way to achieve equality is for the law to change to accommodate this problem. She discussed how important it is to attempt to solve inequality and solve injustice. However, it isn’t as easy as it seems and the most important thing is to focus on the underlying issue, which is people’s opinion on women and other people, who are often treated as if they were inferior.

One of the final arguments of the book is about what we truly want to change in society. Many people don’t fully understand what the aim of fighting for equality for women – do we want equality with men or to be treated fairly?  Kennedy concludes that the best solution would be to aim for a fair society and how women need to be treated slightly differently to men, however, most importantly, equally. But equality doesn't mean the same, it means everyone should have the same opportunities and should be treated the same with some consideration to the differences between us. This would solve all problems, not just in the legal system but in society as a whole.

How significant area the arguments in the book? 

In my opinion, the most significant argument is the final argument about whether we want equality with men or to be treated fairly. This is something that most people don’t fully understand when women say that they want equality. Some people believe that women and men can never be treated equality because they are different genders and some things can never be fully equal, such as sports. However, the main aim is for men and women to be treated fairly. This would be treating them slightly differently, but still allowing them to have the same freedom and to reach the same things in life. Mainly, women, or men, shouldn’t be discriminated against at court and we should all have the right to a fair trial. 

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego

IN YOUR DEFENCE by Sarah Langford

“Sarah Langford is a barrister. Her job is to represent the mad and the bad, the broken and the hopeful. In court, she must tell their story, weaving it around the black and white of the law. These stories change the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways, but for a twist of luck, they might have been yours. In eleven heart-stopping cases, Sarah describes what goes on in our family and criminal courts. She reveals what it is like to work in a world of archaic rituals and inaccessible language. And she explores what it means to be at its mercy. Our legal system promises us justice and fair judgement. Does it, can it, deliver this?”

What is the background for the issue in the book?

Sarah Langford, the author, decided to write this book because she felt like most people didn’t actually know about the law and she thought that working as a solicitor or barrister was too glamorised and that not many people had any understanding of it all. Although the rule of law states that everyone should have access to the law, she felt like the law was too of place in our modern world and that we needed to help people understand that the law is not about ancient words and rituals, it is about helping people achieve justice. This book mainly explores how the law helps and changes people and how, as a barrister, she helped and represented them. The events that take place in the courts shape our society and, although the individuals involved tend to be the most affected, through one small twist of fate that could have been anyone of us.

What are the main arguments of the book?

One of the main arguments of the book is that the English legal system is the fairest and most efficient in the world. We pride ourselves in our legal system because foreigners choose to come here and stand before one of our judges rather than in their own country because they know that the judges cannot be bribed or threatened into doing anything other than applying the law. However, we are in danger of taking this for granted because our legal system is regularly threatened and wholly unsupported by those who should be protecting it. Most people believe we are far from the corrupted legal system that other countries have, however this book discusses that those people are mistaken and that, even now, people are being judged by their background and bank balance. This book also discusses that although our legal system is the fairest in the world; the law is also human justice and is designed and enforced by people. Therefore the law will always be imperfect. Sometimes solicitors, barristers and judges will make mistakes; it is also slow, chaotic and may also be illogical. However, it is one of the pillars that keep our nation stable and we need to embrace the flaws of the legal system and aim to work around them rather than blame them. Justice can only be achieved if we work for it, and so we must remain proud of our legal system, even when we face some of the mistakes made. Another argument in the book is that the law is greatly misinterpreted and many people believe that there is just one truth and the aim of a trial is to uncover that. However, there is no one truth and no one story, instead there are many stories and behind every case there is just a web of messy lives. A lawyer’s job is not just to uncover the truth of the case but to guide those people – whose lives have been completely transformed after a mistake – through the law and its systems and give them what they wanted. This means that doing their job is not always actually achieving justice because some may have to defend people who are clearly lying and clearly guilty, but the aim is just to make the best out of a bad situation.

How significant area the arguments in the book? 

I think that the most significant argument in the book was that the cases we hear about are cases that involve actual real people that have been affected beyond anything we can imagine by a mistake they made or by just being born into a family that will guide them down the wrong path from birth. I think that by having 11 different people’s cases explained to us in this book, Sarah Langford shows us how, although the law may seem complex, our lives are just as complicated. I really like how she explains that her job is to help her clients fit their lives, in all their messy shades of grey, within the black and white of the law by telling their story. I think this pretty much sums up how the law is not just about achieving justice but also about helping you structure your life to fit in with the law. A case is not just brought to court to uncover the truth, but it’s actually brought to court to try and guide these people who have been led astray and help them through a complex legal system. To summarise, this book focuses on the rule of law and the fact that we should always have access to justice and the legal system and we should be able to understand our laws in their entirety.

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego