This book began in 2016 as a way of saying farewell to my parents: I sat beside them listening to their memories, and the early chapters came with their assistance. My family – Kathy, Georgie and Jules (with his amazing recall) – vetted and abetted my recollection. My greatest debt, of course, is to clients who granted me the privilege of taking their cases and have allowed me to tell the tale, and to my work colleagues – pupils and juniors, clerks and solicitors – who have been my companions in the lists. Particular thanks must go to Richard Bayliss, my faithful clerk for the last quarter-century. My gratitude for overseeing this volume goes to Olivia Beattie, managing editor of Biteback, who has subjected my manuscript to the same scrupulous scrutiny as when publishing my other works on subjects as diverse as Iran, nuclear weaponry and the Armenian genocide. The earlier Australian edition of this book benefited from expert editing by Catherine Hill, assisted by Amanda O’Connell and supervised by Nikki Christer. Alex Courtnage, my brilliant personal assistant, researched facts and interpreted my handwriting, as did his successor, Erin Leach. Tim Robertson, Giampaolo Pertosi, Lesley Holden, Mary Ellen Barton and Patrick George have helped, while John Fairley and Andrew Robertson provided family photographs. All errors are down to me. Some of the cases I recount have been misreported in the media and some of the people I recall have been demonised in the press: my take on them provides another perspective – the view, so to speak, from the robing room.