Widely recognised as one of the most brilliant and commercially minded
judges of his generation, Peter Millett was involved in many leading
cases of the day, including those arising out of the insolvency of the
International Tin Council, the collapse of the Maxwell empire, and the
Pinochet case, as well as cases of child custody and adoption, forgery,
provocation, wrongful pregnancy, and even the Chinese system of
concubinage. As in Memory Long is a frank and revealing account of the
author's life and career, punctuated throughout with his personal
insights into the law and its workings through the years. As well as
learning the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion, the
reader will also discover how to produce the perfect forgery or provide
a company with substantial capital when you have no money, how best to
present a fallacious argument, and how to use an umbrella in court.
Among the book's many anecdotes are a description of an occasion when
the House of Lords managed to give judgment in the wrong case, and many
examples of judicial wit at the expense of counsel and vice versa, as
well as some often unintentionally hilarious cross-examinations and
unexpected answers by witnesses. The memoirs of Peter Millett are not
the usual dull series of legal cases won or lost but an entertaining
account of personal and professional mishaps over a lengthy and
distinguished legal career which will appeal to anyone with an interest
in the law and its personalities.
