This book, loosely modelled on Robert Megarry's Miscellany at Law, presents thematically true stories drawn from the spread of Australian legal history and case law. Discover:
who was Australia's youngest judge
instances of extreme rudeness in court and between judges
which judges served the longest and shortest terms in office
the barriers facing women who wanted to practise law and when they were scaled
which judge was tried and acquitted of murder and which law officer was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang
and, learn about humor of all sorts in the profession as well as amusing aspects of Australian laws interface with religion, art, sport, gambling and literature.
Lawyers Then and Now focuses on the quirkiness of the law and the humanity of the people of the law. Highlighted are the recurring constancies and changes in our legal culture with concentration on aspects of legal culture that are accepted in one generation and condemned in another.
The books final chapter Fallible All recapitulates the theme that lawyers are far from perfect even as (most of them) struggle to perform at their best.