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Elizabeth Giussani, Constitutional and administrative law

As someone who is not professionally active in the legal world, my critical reading was by and large restricted to those instances when Kramer moved beyond descriptions and “how to do things” tips to an analytical level. For example, I was pleased but perhaps not completely convinced by the description of the Bar as the archetypical meritocratic profession with a “relatively low level of discrimination” (p. 32). This may indeed be true, and it is certainly desirable from a widening access perspective to include such a statement, but I would disagree that this is the only possible reading of the evidence summoned in support of this statement. At the same time, it was precisely those more analytical sections and the broader view Kramer takes on issues related to becoming a barrister that increase Bewigged’s appeal and make it stand out from its main competitor books, such as The Path to Pupillage: A Guide for the Aspiring Barrister by Alexander Robson and Georgina Wolfe (Sweet & Maxwell, 2008). As the title suggests, the latter book focuses primarily on the process of gaining pupillage. This is not unreasonable as pupillage is the single biggest barrier to entry into the profession for anyone who gets as far as the BVC, but it somewhat limits the appeal to those who have already decided to become barristers. Those law students considering alternative careers, and a general readership, may find the broader focus of Bewigged more useful. In sum, Bewigged is a well-written and enjoyable resource and should be useful to law students, aspiring law students and aspiring barristers in particular. While law teachers may not necessarily use the book in their teaching as such, it is a useful referral point for students interested in joining the barrister profession. Reference sections of any university library and careers services would do well to stock the book. Those of us who do not themselves aspire to a career in advocacy will enjoy the insightful account of the structure of the legal world and the training system for joining one of the oldest and most powerful professions in contemporary Britain.