A Drink at the Bar: A memoir of crime, justice and overcoming personal
demons is the witty, opinionated and revealing memoirs of Judge
Graham Boal QC, a criminal barrister for thirty years before serving
as a judge for nine years until his retirement as a Permanent Judge at
London's Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, in 2005.
Boal's career highlights included his being the legendary George
Carman's junior in the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe's trial for
conspiracy to murder in 1979, leading for the Crown at the Appeal of the
Birmingham Six in 1991 and becoming First Senior Treasury Counsel. His
memories of key cases in his career are fascinating but his day-to-day
experiences, and the underlying legal issues and happenstance, are every
bit as revealing and interesting.
Boal has been described as 'clubbable', a man who enjoys cricket, golf
and life in a Norfolk village, but as his brilliant career progressed he
found himself increasingly dependent on the demon alcohol. He went into
treatment for alcoholism and depression in 1993, and has been a
recovering alcoholic ever since, including his years as a judge at the
Old Bailey, the court at which most of the most serious criminal cases
in the country are tried.
This intriguing memoir reveals the many inside stories of classic
criminal cases and the author is unstinting in his analysis of his
professional achievements and personal struggles. This will be an
essential read for all those interested in legal and political issues
and the toll that the pressures of high office can put on one's personal
life and wellbeing. The author is now a trustee and board member of WDP,
a leading addiction charity.
