Under the Wig

'Gripping' – The Times
How can you defend a man like that?
Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence is the riveting true-crime memoir from William Clegg QC (Queen's Counsel – now known as King's Counsel), one of Britain's most experienced criminal defence barristers. Across five decades at the Bar, Clegg has represented more than 100 people accused of murder and stood in courtrooms where a single verdict can mean freedom, life imprisonment, or a devastating miscarriage of justice.
This is not a fictional legal thriller. These are real cases, told with the pace of a courtroom drama and the insight of an advocate who understands how juries, judges, police and prosecutors think. Step behind the scenes of the English criminal justice system – from the first tense prison visit and solicitor's proof of evidence, to police interviews and PACE safeguards, to cross-examination, jury speeches, verdict day silence, sentencing, and the hard grind of the Court of Appeal.
Clegg answers the questions people always ask: What happens if a client admits guilt? Why can't a barrister simply refuse to defend a suspected killer? What is the "cab-rank" rule? And why are murder trials different, where issues like self-defence, provocation and diminished responsibility can decide whether the law calls it murder or manslaughter?
Inside, you'll follow headline-making investigations and unforgettable cases, including:

- The Wimbledon Common murder and the dangers of criminal profiling, media pressure and a collapsed prosecution

- The murder of Samantha Bisset and the chilling consequences of missed links, fingerprints and DNA

- The Chillenden murders and the unnerving power of prison "confessions"

- Convictions built on unusual forensic evidence, from earprints to trace clues

- A murder without a body and the weight of circumstantial evidence

- War crimes prosecutions that reach beyond Britain, from Belarus to the Balkans

- Modern scandals and trials, including bribery and corruption, phone hacking, and high-profile UK cases such as Jill Dando and Joanna Yeates

Along the way you'll be taken inside chambers: clerks and briefs, rivalry and camaraderie, solicitors and counsel, plea advice, trial preparation, and what it really takes to become a QC. You'll see how a defence team builds trust with a frightened defendant, how to test witness statements and expert testimony, and how small details can win (or lose) a case.
If you enjoy British true crime books, courtroom memoirs, legal biography, crime non-fiction, criminal law, criminology and behind-the-scenes accounts of murder trials, this is essential reading. Buy now and step into the courtroom. Perfect for fans of true crime, law books, and legal thrillers based on real cases.