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‘Well-written, deeply researched and wholly gripping’ The Spectator

‘Kentridge is one of many lawyers to whom I will forever be in debt, and whose everyday fights against injustice should inspire us all’ David Lammy

Sydney Kentridge carved out a reputation as South Africa’s most prominent anti-apartheid advocate – his story is entwined with the country’s emergence from racial injustice and oppression. He is the only advocate to have acted for three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize – Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Chief Albert Lutuli. Already world-famous for his landmark cases including the Treason Trial of Nelson Mandela and the other leading members of the ANC, the inquiry into the Sharpeville massacre, and the inquest into the death of Steve Biko, he then became England’s premier advocate.

Through the great set-pieces of the legal struggle against apartheid – cases which made the headlines not just in South Africa, but across the world – this biography is a portrait of enduring moral stature.

Publisher Review

A forensic, riveting account of a wondrous and principled advocate, one that brings to life the rule of law and reminds what we might strive to be -- Philippe Sands Kentridge is not only one of the finest advocates of all time, he is also one of the finest men -- Lady Hale The barrister's barrister . . . a moral stature that no amount of moral forensic technique can impersonate -- Lord Jonathan Sumption One of the greatest lawyers of our times - a legal titan -- Lady Helena Kennedy Praise for Thomas Grant: Thomas Grant has brought together Hutchinson's greatest legal hits, producing a fascinating episodic cultural history of post-war Britain that chronicles the end of deference and secrecy, and the advent of a more permissive society . . . Grant brings out the essence of each case, and Hutchinson's role, with clarity and wit -- The Times Praise for Thomas Grant: Hutchinson provides the memories and Grant puts pen to paper. The result is a multifaceted object: a celebration of a brilliant career, an explanation of the legal process and a social and cultural history of the second half of the 20th century -- Daily Telegraph Praise for Thomas Grant: Excellent . . . Thomas Grant offers detailed accounts of eleven cases at the Old Bailey's Court Number One, with protagonists ranging from the diabolical to the pathetic. There is humour . . . but this is ultimately an affecting study of how the law gets it right - and wrong -- Guardian Praise for Thomas Grant: A hamper of treats, a series of beautifully judged vignettes . . . Grant excels himself . . . He is a master at conveying the cut-and-thrust of cross-examination, managing to maintain a sense of speed while making sure the reader does not miss the cultural or legal context. His style is drily witty, but just when you start to think he is a bit too detached from what are, after all, matters of life and death, he soars into a rhetorical flight . . . Very moving -- Sunday Telegraph