The solicitor at the heart of some of the most high-profile cases in recent memory – from the Spy Cops scandal to the quashing of John Worboys' proposed parole – delivers a searing condemnation of a justice system that routinely lets down female victims of crime whilst upholding arcane and misogynistic laws.
Discover the essential, must-read book about how the UK legal system is failing women, as told by one of Britain’s foremost lawyers.
For more than quarter of a century, Harriet Wistrich has fought the corner of people from all walks of life let down by our justice system.
She has been at the forefront of some historic and ground-breaking legal victories, from helping the victims of taxi driver and serial rapist John Worboys, to representing a pioneering group of the women caught up in the ‘spy cops’ scandal – women deceived into forming long-term relationships with men later revealed to be undercover police officers.
Litigation can be a long and rocky path of pitfalls and dead ends and there are defeats as well as gains, hours of painstaking work as well as courtroom drama.
It takes collaboration, extraordinary tenacity and huge compassion, but Harriet Wistrich is proof that it is possible to demand better justice and to bring about important change.
Exploring landmark cases, Sister in Law covers the shocking true stories demonstrating that, terrifyingly often, the law is not-fit-for-purpose for half the population and shines a feminist light on the landscape of arcane laws and systems skewed towards men.
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9781804995990
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 247 g
Dimensions: 197 x 127 x 21 mm
Wistrich not only illustrates the ways in which the law fails women but the gruelling nature of litigation: it is slow, infernally complicated, and forces individuals to relive their worst experiences. Yet through these enraging and astonishing stories, Wistrich also shows us the best of humanity ... Empathetic, dogged, canny, always up for the fight. Her book might be short on introspection but her remarkable legal career speaks volumes about the person she is. - Fiona Sturges, Guardian
Sister in Law is compelling, shocking and inspiring in equal measure..this accessible book is a must for anyone interested in justice, society and using the law to achieve change. - Catherine Baksi, The Times
Highly accessible and beautifully written…Wistrich’s strong sense of fairness and justice runs through every word ... She is a hero, an inspiration. Every aspiring lawyer, and anyone interested in justice, should read this book, get angry and join the fight. - Cris McCurley, Legal Action Group
This is a brilliant and important book. Harriet is a trailblazer and has done so much to get justice for so many women. - Victoria Derbyshire
A shocking, sobering and galvanising account of her astonishing legal career fighting for women in a legal system that is all too often stacked against them - Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women substack
Harriet Wistrich has long offered a voice to the voiceless – those ordinary men, and especially women, who have been silenced, ignored, overlooked and talked down to. Her career is a testimony to her values, dedication, hard work and insight and as I read Sister in Law I realised that if I was ever in trouble I would want Harriet fighting in my corner. - Emeritus Professor David Wilson
Justice needs both warriors and champions and in Harriet Wistrich, she found both. Sister in Law is compelling, inspiring, horrifying and humbling in equal measure. Everybody should read it to begin to appreciate the inequalities within our legal system. - Dame Professor Sue Black
Harriet Wistrich is a heroine. Here is her story: 30 years of feminist and human rights activism, legal creativity, and tenacity. With great clarity and humanity she describes watershed cases - from women locked up for killing their violent abusers, to undercover ‘spy cops’, the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, murdered by the police, and the bleak legacy of prostitution – all of them exemplars in the art of making a difference. - Beatrix Campbell, author of Secrets and Silence
Every feminist should know Harriet Wistrich’s name. She is an unsung heroine. There is no one better to learn from if you want to Get Shit Done. - Helen Lewis
Harriet's innovative, intense and courageous commitment to safeguarding basic rights, compellingly set out in every chapter, is exactly the sort of engagement that was sorely lacking in the Post Office debacle in order to prevent the wrongful convictions in the first place. - Michael Mansfield KC
This book was researched thoroughly and delivered with accuracy and without pulling any punches.
It was compelling and engaging.
Couldn't believe some of the content as highlighted by the author in regards...
More
This book was absolutely phenomenal. It horrified and informed me. Wistrich is a phenomenal figure in the fight for Justice for women in law and I’m in awe of her and the work she has been a part of. The reflections... More
Please sign in to write a review
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
