Gareth Roberts
@garethroberts3.bsky.social
Welsh/Cymro, Barrister, occasional contributor to Byline Times; author of Whatever Happened To Billy Parks? (Winner of the Jerwood Prize 2014) + Confessions of a Barrister, also enthusiastic rugby coach and collector of vinyl records - what’s not to like!
Forgive me if you've already made a statement about this - but, as a barrister, I am very interested in your opinions about the proposals to reduce the number of jury trials.
December 3, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Forgive me if you've already made a statement about this - but, as a barrister, I am very interested in your opinions about the proposals to reduce the number of jury trials.
The law is determined by experts (a judge), the case is presented by experts (the lawyers), but the ultimate decision on the evidence, is a human matter not an expert one and requires a level of objectivity that a jury is bet placed to bring. Not ideal, but it works (you'll have to trust me on that)
November 27, 2025 at 9:13 AM
The law is determined by experts (a judge), the case is presented by experts (the lawyers), but the ultimate decision on the evidence, is a human matter not an expert one and requires a level of objectivity that a jury is bet placed to bring. Not ideal, but it works (you'll have to trust me on that)
We don't actually, we earn more if we turn over a large number of trials. As such, having a judge determining trials quickly, probably means that the average earnings for the average junior barrister would increase in the absence of jury trials.
November 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
We don't actually, we earn more if we turn over a large number of trials. As such, having a judge determining trials quickly, probably means that the average earnings for the average junior barrister would increase in the absence of jury trials.
Wrote this... bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/s...
'Scrapping Jury Trials Is an Attempt to Fix a Broken Justice System by Smashing It to Pieces'
Taking away the fundamental right to be tried by a jury of your peers would be a disastrous move by Keir Starmer's Government, argues barrister Gareth Roberts
bylinetimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Wrote this... bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/s...
Wonderful use of wow words there! You nail it!
November 20, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Wonderful use of wow words there! You nail it!
Absolutely - Thatcher undermined the principle that everyone had an equal opportunity in the UK and replaced it with a principle that those who had wealth had a little bit more opportunity than everyone else.
November 14, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Absolutely - Thatcher undermined the principle that everyone had an equal opportunity in the UK and replaced it with a principle that those who had wealth had a little bit more opportunity than everyone else.
My piss is well and truly boiled watching this... how dare they!
November 12, 2025 at 8:20 PM
My piss is well and truly boiled watching this... how dare they!
Yep, fair play, you've got work really hard to make Badenoch look like an effective politician.
November 12, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Yep, fair play, you've got work really hard to make Badenoch look like an effective politician.