Like many criminal barristers, I entered the profession with a fervent belief in justice and fairness. I desired and indeed was willing, to speak truth to power and to play a part in what I thought was the greatest justice system in the world—the envy of many.
Long before I had decided to attempt to get to the Bar, I recalled arguing with teachers in defence of classmates that I thought were being treated unfairly. I was perhaps not always as correct as I thought at this age, but I never imagined that decades later, I would get that same blood-boiling sensation when standing in a court of law. Full disclosure, though: I get it almost every time I go to any Magistrates Court.
My experiences are not unique. They are increasingly becoming the norm. Spend a single day in almost any Magistrate...