The H H Wendy Joseph KC's excellent book on some cases from Old Bailey London from a judge point of view. Very interesting read - made me search for other books by the author. Highly recommended!!!

Powerful, eloquent, and so very human. Terrible stories told in a way that makes them bearable and poignant. Brilliant.

HH Wendy Joseph KC does a great job in setting out the inequalities that exist in our justice system. This book is well thought out, clear and provides a roadmap for the current government, headed by a former DPP, to address the issues. It will be of interest to anyone who lives in the UK and not just lawyers.

I have read all of Her Honour Wendy Joseph’s books and I really enjoyed them all. This one is no different. She clearly explains every aspect of each case she writes about, so even someone like me who has little or no legal knowledge can easily follow along and understand what goes on during criminal trials. There’s also a glimmer of a personal element, as she talks about some of her fellow judges (without disclosing any names) and how they advise and support each other during difficult cases. I really enjoyed this book, it’s very interesting and insightful.

A thought provoking read.
Wendy Joseph KC is an Old Bailey judge who writes in such a manner which explains complex legal matters in an easy to understand way.
This book highlights the contrast in the law and how it works and the asks the question is it fair?
Joseph’s writing is easy to read and understand ,making the pages fly by .
The spotlight shines on the failings of the legal system and the need for change and highlights miscarriages of justice in years gone by.
Whilst showing similar cases today and the people involved are still being failed , why haven’t lessons be learnt?
Read it you won’t be disappointed!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers.

Her Honour uses some fictional and some historical cases at the Old Bailey to explore the development of the English justice system, particularly as it affects vulnerable members of society.

We get an insight into her role as a judge, including behind-the-scenes revelations about court procedures, catering, and what the lawyers say when the jury isn’t present.

A fascinating look at a difficult job.

This was an interesting and thought provoking read with the author concentrating on 4 cases concerning women in different situations, but who are all being tried at the Old Bailey with her as the Judge . I appreciated the explanations of the Law which were aimed at lay readers, but managed not to be patronising. The author also looked at historical cases to compare the legal process in different centuries; thankfully present day procedures have greatly improved, in most areas, but there is certainly room for improvement and I hope she continues her advocacy of making the system better for everyone involved in the judicial system.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

this book focuses on woman in criminal history past and present and how the legal system has received them. Wendy Joseph KC an Old Bailey Judge has done a very clever job of this book. It gives you an insight into how the law has treated woman over the years and gives food for thought.

Rough Justice by Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC takes the reader on a journey of some of the most shocking, surprising and frustrating cases tried by Joseph at the central criminal court, more commonly known as the Old Bailey, with lessons on the law throughout. Joesph explains the law with the help of four real-life case studies. This book includes a man who is accused of raping and sexual assault of an under sixteen, a young girl who was the victim of exploitation/modern slavery who disposed of a dismembered body, a female victim of domestic violence who killed her husband and a father and grandmother of a young boy who was injured with a shotgun which the defendants are accused of having in their possession.

I liked this book for a number of different reasons. To begin with, it was great how Joseph used real-life case studies, covering them all in nearly full detail and explaining the law as it came up. This adds interest to the story as it gives the reader the sense of seeing justice in action, as an Old Bailey judge explains. Furthermore, the book explains some complex areas of the law in easy-to-understand language for the general public, which is extremely important as our criminal justice system is a public system, so members of the public should be able to understand what is going on in a courtroom. Even for law students and potentially for those in the legal profession, there may be some surprising things to read about in this book, such as just how badly, or just how difficult, things could get in just one trial. The chapters also seemed to have been of good length, and it was good to see footnotes included at the bottom of each page rather than at the end of the chapter or the end of the book.

However, the book is not without minor faults. When I began reading this book, it appeared that there was going to be some gender bias against males; however, Joseph quicker saved herself for the majority of the book to actually talk about female victims and defendants and what essentially drove them to their crimes and how we as a society may not do enough to protect this group. The gender bias comes back in the book's conclusion, but I would suggest it may be excused, as Joseph indeed makes a good point. Other than that, it would have been nice if the law and Joseph's points had been spelt out more clearly in the chapters. In some of the case studies, it was clear to someone who reads law that Joseph was trying to point out a relevant area of the law, but at times, this was rather implicit when it would have been nice for this to be explicit. This may be because all the explanations were included in many appendices at the end of the book, where it may have been relevant to include them in the chapters amongst the case studies. Saying this, the detail of the case studies should definitely not be diluted down, rather explaining the law within the chapters next to the relevant point would have added further value to the book.

Altogether, I rate this book 3 stars, making it a good book because it was very gripping and interesting, with some really eye-opening and unbelievable real-life cases included in a really good amount of detail. Furthermore, this book is written for a person with no legal knowledge, meaning it has been written very clearly and uses as simple language as possible. I would highly recommend this book. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book in return for an honest book review.

Having read Wendy Joseph's previous book – Unlawful Killings – I was keen to see if she could repeat that excellence. I needn't have been worried – Rough Justice is every but as good.
This time, Joseph focuses on women in the criminal system – both the accused and those who work in the courts. Each case is told with compassion and not a little humour.. The humanity of the people involved is preserved and the hard decisions made clear.
Joseph does a remarkable job at revealing what really happens in a Crown Court, far better than any TV series and for that she should be applauded.

Having thoroughly enjoyed reading Unlawful Killings I was thrilled to see a new book by the save author. Continuing with the same amusing, highly informative and relatable style of writing, Rough Justice presents firsthand experience of how justice is delivered in the biggest court in the country, The Old Bailey in London. The author has many years experience as a KC and now judge and brings this extensive knowledge and passion for the legal system to readers but with an honest approach to how the complexities of life, the law, jurors and witnesses ,victims and defendants can all mean that justice can be certainly difficult to serve.
I highly recommend reading this book to give such an appreciation for the system we are fortunate to have and maybe where there is still room for its growth and improvement as times change.

Thank you to NetGallery for this advance copy of Rough Justice.

Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC writes beautifully. I previously enjoyed her debut book, Unlawful Killings.

Joseph has a knack for explaining complex law concepts succinctly for the lay person, which is clearly a skill gained from years of instructing juries. She always shows great humanity towards all who enter her court, although she doesn’t suffer fools gladly, including high level ‘silks’.

The cases she covers are complex and thought provoking, and never clear cut, which reflects the criminal justice system. The loss of one star in this review is for the lack of closure on a few of the cases she included in this book. It would have been good to know what the verdicts and sentences were in those cases.

The comparisons with historical similar cases was a good touch in terms of seeing how far our justice system has come over hundreds of years.

I enjoyed the insights of what it is like to be a juror, as well as anyone that has a role at The Old Bailey. So many people have parts to play in criminal trials, and Joseph explains and covers these parts beautifully.

It is clear that Joseph cares deeply about justice, it’s history and where it heads in the future. She raises useful and interesting points for improvement and development. An engaging and very well written read.

Four very different cases are presided over by an experienced and respected High Court Judge, Her Honour Wendy Joseph, all of which highlight the complexities and potential failings of the British legal system. Some parts are referenced back to similar cases as far back as two or three hundred years ago. Elaboration of the legal system’s procedures is explained in everyday layman’s terms which makes for an easier read.

The author has managed to include in her writing hints of non-prejudicial humour, to otherwise four very serious criminal cases at the Old Bailey, with her own unique personality in the telling. This is a truly enlightening and engaging book and has certainly made me more aware of the responsibilities and challenges faced by High Court Judges, which far exceeds their often misunderstood roles.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Random House for this e-APC. The above comments are mine alone. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who has a general interest in British law.

I love Wendy Jospeh's first book and Rough Justice is brilliant. In it she focused on women and how they are treated by the justice system and by society. I was enlightened by her role in the trial as well as jurors and the barristers/lawyers. She looks at how much we've moved on in time (sometimes not very much) but also highlights some outdated laws that only changed recently. It is fascinating seeing her thinking through the cases and looking at it from the human side but also the law side. I highly recommend it.

Old Bailey judge Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC talks the reader through four very different cases, each looking at the women in the dock and wonders how easy it is for any one of us to be in a court, whether that be a member of the jury, a witness or the person on trial. And, as she looks into these four cases, she discovers horrifying similarities between now and possible miscarriages of justice from years ago and wonders if the law has changed and how the law affects the marginalised and the easily exploited?

A few years ago, I audiobooked Unlawful Killings, Her Honour Wendy Joseph’s KC debut non-fiction and it was one of my fave reads of that year as I found it a fascinating insight into the legal system (though it did make me question if I would be the right person to do jury duty if I was ever asked, even though I would see it as my civic duty). So, when I discovered that she wrote another book, I requested it on NetGalley (even though my NetGalley Review Rating is not that great).

I am going to be honest, I didn’t like this as much as I did Unlawful Killings, but I think the reason for this is because I audiobooked Unlawful Killings and I read Rough Justice, giving them both a very different feeling. I think, if I had audiobook Rough Justice, I would have enjoyed it more as the information would have been easier for me to understand and digest. Reading this, at times, felt very overwhelming and dry.

What was a surprise (I think I forgot this was in Unlawful Killings) was the humour. It was dry and sarcastic and the type of humour I quite enjoy reading in crime. It also was a nice balance against the four cases, each looking at women being at the heart of the case. Each case is different and very dark: sexual assault of a minor, child grooming linked to County Lines, murder, domestic abuse in a marriage, PTSD, child endangerment and coercive control. Because of this, at times, reading this is uncomfortable and you had to put the book down.

I did like this and was surprised how it made me think about the law and the justice system, which is struggling in the UK due to a number of reasons (better people can explain this in far greater detail than I) and whether the law is helping vulnerable people or is making it hard for people to get justice.

I do hope Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC does write another book (though I will be listening to audiobook, me thinks) and I may, one day, be brave and try to read more non-fiction novels about the UK legal/political systems … we shall see…

A fascinating piece of work by Wendy Joseph KC. Surely the first case presented in the book is compelling evidence for media coverage of any (and all) sexual assault trials, given the outcome? Throughout the book, source material is presented in a measured and sensitive manner. Joseph gives us insight into Court process in language which makes the book accessible for all. I like the comparisons with old cases, which allows us to reflect on how (and whether) things have changed. Through writing this book, Joseph seeks to ask whether we are achieving justice. I found ‘Rough Justice’ extremely interesting and Wendy Joseph's writing style very engaging. I also appreciated the focus on women. It's a book I would highly recommend and read again.

I really enjoyed Unlawful Killings by Wendy Joseph and was thrilled to have the opportunity of an early review copy of her latest book, Rough Justice, Her Honour has a wonderful way with words; she makes complex legal issues understandable for the lay reader and writes with compassion and humour. These qualities make enjoyable reading.

We like to believe that Britain has the best legal system in the world, but numerous high profile cases have raised doubts about the way in which justice is interpreted and applied. This book examines four very different cases in detail with the legal arguments presented and the issues raised explored. She draws on comparison with earlier similar cases and raises troubling questions as to whether or how much our legal system has improved and learned from past mistakes. Her insights are authoritative and the writing throughout is assured and direct. She seems a rare in ideal who has integrity and honour in every sense. I’ve really enjoyed this book and it gives much room for thought and reflection. Absolutely brilliant.

What a wonderfully thought through and written book. Wendy Jospeh was one of the country's top barristers and judges before retirement and she is now sharing her wisdom about the criminal justice system and how it works - or doesn't.

This is her second such book and it is comprehensive, forensic and compassionate, focusing mainly on crimes by and against women and how they are dealt with by the system.

This is something that is a must read for anyone involved in or fascinated by the law and it is rare that you find quite a technical book that flows so well and imparts its message with devastating face yet is still dryly humorous when appropriate.