Media Work
You've done alot of media work, do you enjoy this side of your job?
It's true I have a lot of media work. I suppose initially it was just a bit here and a bit there, a bit of television. Then I became what's called a Legal Eagle on the Jimmy Young Show. And that, like most of the best things in my life, was by pure chance. It was because I set up a charity called the Legal Action Group in 1970 which supported legal aid, an extension of legal aide, and so on. And one of the BBC people because I was quite heavily reported in the media at that time from time to time. He saw someone why don't we try this chap they were looking for a lawyer to give advice o the Jimmy Young Show, BBC Radio 2 and I went a long for a trial program and they gave the job in 1974 and they just kept saying “See you in a fortnight”, and I did that for 26 years and it was a wonderful program. An hour, live, the questions came in beforehand they had to write in with their questions so I had time to look at them and work out some of the responses but it was a wonderful program and then they had a phone in during the program I think it's true what they said I became a minor household name in those years because people are very curious about their legal rights and duties and this was one probably the best opportunity to get some understanding of this phenomenally complicated stuff and even today I get, last week I had some chap say I know that voice yea your the legal eagle on the Jimmy Young Show, yesterday some chap came up to me I was speaking in London. He said I remember you from back in the 70's, it's incredible and in a funny way I sometimes think it's been the most useful thing I've ever done because in that time you can really help shape people's perception of the law in a way that's much more positive and less frightening then the usual sort of information they get and so I always use to be relentlessly trying to express myself in English that anybody can understand and not keep throwing law at people to show what a wonderful lawyer I was and so that's been a large part of an awful lot of things in my life.
You used to be radio 2's 'legal eagle', do people still ask you for free legal advice?
Well, funny enough, people don't. They're very well mannered. I still do a few. I met a chap the other day in prison who remembered me and wanted some help. I still get probably a letter a month from people from those days.
What do you enjoy about your media work?
There's a terrific buzz about doing something live particularly because you can make a cock above it, there's no going back. It just has an added excitement. You can't be edited. But no, I suppose there's also a sheer vanity factor, if you're speaking to a couple of million people. That has all sort of vanity comeback. But more seriously, the opportunity to get across your views. If you got some views about things. The opportunity to try to persuade others to your point of view is a privilege. It's something you look for.
