Criminal lawyers are first and foremost lawyers who represent cases in court, [...] either as an accusation or as a defence. In practice, the job also requires skills as a social worker, couples therapist, persuasion expert, hostage negotiator, chauffeur, bus ticket provider, accountant, suicide watchman, coffee provider, adoptive father and, on one memorable occasion, whatever the term for anyone who announces to a prisoner that his girlfriend has been diagnosed with gonorrhea." Welcome to the world of The Secret Lawyer. These are the stories of life inside the courtroom, sometimes funny and often moving. How can you defend an abusive child you suspect is guilty? What do you say to someone sentenced to ten years in prison who you think is innocent? What is the law and why do we need it? Why do they wear those stupid wigs? The judicial system and laws can often seem to us a strange and impenetrable world, linked to everyday life only through certain news reports and television dramatizations full of poetic licenses. The Secret Lawyer tries to bridge that gap by providing a frank and hopefully accessible explanation of the criminal justice system, how it works, and how, all too often, it doesn't.