Compelling stories from the frontline

This is an excellent collection of some very enjoyable short stories about the law and lawyers. They are great fun and varied. Many are courtroom dramas; others are set inside prisons or general legal tales. They are all thought-provoking, moving or humorous. Some feature a solicitor hero who sets up in practice as a justice-seeking lawyer who will take on any client that seems a lost cause. Some of the stories are almost fairytales but that adds to the enjoyment. The tales feature a fair few murders, a custody battle and a dog who gives evidence in court.

The author qualified in 1963 and went straight into partnership with his elder brother. He then practised on his own for a short while and then went into partnership with an old friend. He worked with trainees who later became his partners. The firm of Harkavys lasted from 1976 until Anthony Harkavy retired in 1998 on his 60th birthday. The clientele was a wide mixture of commercial, divorce, property and latterly white-collar crime.

Harkavy started writing by sheer accident after recounting a moving event in 2013 where he was playing the piano on the concourse of Kings Cross station and was surrounded by a group of deaf French students who derived satisfaction by placing hands on the wooden frame. He wrote a piece based on this and a year later wrote another short story as a tribute to a very close friend, client and fellow musician.

A great read and marvellous fun.

David Pickup is a partner at Pickup & Scott Solicitors, Aylesbury