Defending the Guilty

Will Packham is an idealistic pupil barrister - or idealistic for now. His clients are at least as guilty as sin. His pupil-master Caroline thinks he is a gutless snowflake. His fellow pupils want the same job as him and would stab each other to get it. Over the course of two days, Will has to defend a would-be murderer, keep a young slam poet out of custody and fetch Caroline a range of pastries. Can Will hold onto his principles and prove he has what it takes?

As Will grapples with whether to tell his girlfriend about his recent indiscretion, his new-found notoriety throws up a juicy opportunity. Meanwhile, Caroline wonders how much to let the jury know about a particularly unappealing client.

Caroline and Will take on a last-minute case, only to find themselves in a battle with the clock, a skittish victim and an underfunded system to bring a horrible criminal to justice. Meanwhile, the pupils’ battle for tenancy heats up, alliances are formed, and things get dirty.

A series of odd incidents on the tube lands Caroline and Will with a hard-to-read client. Harmless crank or weirdo perv? Meanwhile, Ashley is making political moves, and Will tries to get to know Caroline better, only to wish he hadn’t.

Chambers is putting the pupils through their paces in a professionally acted mock trial. Will learns the brutal art of cross-examination from Caroline - only to find it is a skill he needs in his personal life too.

It is the day the pupils get ‘on their feet', addressing a court for the first time. But Will is reeling from the break-up of his relationship - and wondering whether the law is really for him.