The Political Lawyer

An episode of the Gresham College Lectures podcast, hosted by Gresham College, titled "The Political Lawyer" was published on October 19, 2020 and runs 76 minutes.

October 19, 2020 ·76m · Gresham College Lectures

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Summary

Traditionally a lawyer's own views and political affiliation are irrelevant to the pursuit of the legal process. This lecture will examine - and celebrate - the work of lawyers who have crossed the usual lines and worked for political change. It will look at the life of South African advocate Bram Fischer, who defended Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia trial, and was himself prosecuted for sabotage and sentenced to life in prison. It will consider modern examples of lawyers paying a heavy pri...

Episode Description

Traditionally a lawyer's own views and political affiliation are irrelevant to the pursuit of the legal process.

This lecture will examine - and celebrate - the work of lawyers who have crossed the usual lines and worked for political change. It will look at the life of South African advocate Bram Fischer, who defended Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia trial, and was himself prosecuted for sabotage and sentenced to life in prison.

It will consider modern examples of lawyers paying a heavy price for political engagement, as well as the ethical issues which are engaged - how far can a lawyer go?

A lecture by Thomas Grant QC 19 October

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/political-lawyer

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

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