The legal profession has a long-standing reputation for being an ‘Old Boys’ Club’ with both unequal access and progression within it. In recent years, this has begun to be acknowledged, but much more needs to be done to overturn the culture of power and privilege that perpetuates it.

In her trademark outspoken style, Jo Delahunty Q.C. shines a light on these problems – from discrimination and disadvantage in entering the Bar, to toxic work practices, sexual harassment, judicial bullying and more. Jo shows how they impact most negatively on women and minorities, resulting in the loss of diversity from, and underrepresentation in, the senior Bar and judiciary. Finally, using her passion for legal aid work with the most vulnerable in society, she identifies what can be done to make changes to the Bar for the better.

Drawing on her own story and those of others to expose the highs and lows of a life in the law, this book is a challenge to the Bar as it stands and a call to action for the next generation of change-makers. Every professional can make a difference: this book reveals how.

Author Biography

Professor Jo Delahunty KC, Emeritus Gresham Professor of Law, is one of the UK’s leading barristers, specialising in child protection law who, over her 40 years at the Bar, has chosen to champion the vulnerable, using her status and public platforms to speak out about wrongs in her working world. Being the child of a single parent from a working-class family and the first to go to university, she has defied the script for class and gender to challenge inequality and injustice, through her actions, achievements and public speaking. By writing about the realities of a life in law, confronting issues such as sexual harassment, bullying and lack of diversity she Sets The Bar for others to follow. in 2025, she is shortlisted for the prestigious Family Law KC of the Year https://www.familylawawards.com/website/16755/shortlist/ and DEI: Outstanding Contribution for the Chambers UK Bar Awards https://chambers.com/events/chambers-uk-bar-awards-2025

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