The Return of Breaking Law: A judge's guide to your legal rights & winning in court or losing well

Written by Stephen Gold, a civil and family judge, legal broadcaster and journalist, this self-help best-seller has been significantly expanded with over 25 new chapters added to make this a 77 chapter bumper second edition covering even more of the legal problems we may all encounter at some time in our lives. So whoever you are – litigant in person, consumer or business owner and you can even be a professional lawyer or legal trainee to derive benefit from the book - you will find entertaining and enormously practical advice, written in straightforward language, direct from the judge’s pen to help you succeed in your dispute - or at least lose well. Been overcharged at a supermarket? Overlooked in a relative’s will? Sold duff goods? Sued for repossession by mortgage lender or landlord? Threatened by being left penniless after a divorce? You can find help here. But now in this second edition, you will also be armed to challenge that parking ticket, cope with a speeding or drink-drive prosecution, get your money back on a Covid cancelled holiday, resist excessive service charges from your landlord and much, much more. And Breaking Law Iooks like being the first book available to cover the new no-fault divorce laws that are due to come into force in April 2022. But Stephen does much more than explain rights. He takes you through how to behave in court (including how to cross-examine) whether it’s a face-to-face or remote hearing. And the book is full of templates: letters to help you win without a court case; documents you can use if the dispute goes to court; and documents such as the change your name deed, the cohabitation agreement, the pre-nuptial agreement, the anti-gazumping agreement, the no-sex agreement and the longest will in the world from which you can chose who inherits and who doesn’t. Throughout, Stephen’s advice is illuminated by tales of how his own disputes with a myriad of businesses have gone. No disputes with the twins Ron and Reg Kray, though. He was their lawyer and there’s a fascinating account of his professional relationship with them and his discovery of what became of Ron’s brain. If you do think you need a lawyer, Stephen provides plenty of ideas of how to get legal advice before handing over any money along with how to source professional help in and out of courts and tribunals for those who cannot afford legal fees (and who can?!). From the moment you get out of bed, you could suddenly find yourself needing this book. So don’t wait till the worst happens, get a copy and keep it handy like thousands of others have done over the last five years

About the Author :
Stephen Gold has many years' experience both as a civil and family judge and, before that, as a practising solicitor. In numerous national and regional broadcasts and in articles, Stephen has brought the law to the general public and lawyers alike with a unique mix of practicality, straight language and humour. Among the programmes contributed to have been the The One Show, Panorama, Top Gear and Radio 5's Drivetime. One of the pioneers of live legal advice phone-ins he has helped many hundreds over the airwaves on LBC and BBC Radio Solent as well as Richard and Judy. While a judge, he was an accredited media spokesman for the judiciary and is a long standing columnist for the leading legal weekly New Law Journal. His columns have also appeared in House Beautiful and The Independent.

Review :
Reviews of the 1st edition: "Who needs a lawyer once you have Stephen Gold's Breaking Law to hand! An accessible, comprehensive guide to our legal rights. It's an amazing achievement." Jon Snow, Channel 4 News: "Breaking Law is an amusing, entertaining, and incredibly useful book explaining how to make the law work for you, not against you. If you've ever wondered what a judge would say about any legal predicament you find yourself in, well here's the answer!" Piers Morgan, broadcaster and writer : Written clearly and with a real sense of fun, at last a text which strips bare the complexities of our legal system so you, too, can "survive without a lawyer"..... Our Law, at last, accessible to us." Anna Botting, Sky News : "Fun to read but a vital source of knowledge if you are thinking of using the courts" : Justin Webb BBC Radio 4 : Unquestionably the legal book of the year, if not the decade. This is the work of a genius." Professor Dominic Regan, New Law Journal : "A master-class in civil procedure. Whatever your case is about Stephen Gold sets you on the path to winning or (since this is England) losing well. The specimen witness statement about the sale of 62 Wayne Rooney miniatures had me in stitches. A litigant in person would find it all very useful and the seasoned lawyer would learn something too. I did." : Peter Thompson QC, General Editor of the Civil Court Practice (the "Green Book') : "So full of useful stuff that it will be of great use to advisers as well as the advised." David Pickup, Law Society Gazette