The Law Show

The courts system in England and Wales is in an unprecedented crisis. The backlog has reached 80,000 cases, and some defendants are being told they won't be able to have a criminal trial until 2030.
The government has introduced the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which contains a raft of measures to tackle delays and bring down the backlog; but the Justice Secretary David Lammy has admitted that things are going to get even worse before they get better.
The most controversial change is a plan to restrict the number of jury trials. The right to judgement by your peers has existed for more than 800 years, but for some offences, that's going to end.
Defendants will lose the right to choose between a jury trial or a magistrate's hearing in so-called "either-way" offences.
Magistrates will get increased sentencing powers - up from 12 months to 18 months.
More serious criminal cases, with likely sentences of up to three years will now be heard by a single judge - and no jury.
And only the most serious "indictable" offences, like murder, manslaughter and rape and any other offence with a sentence of longer than three years will be heard by a jury.
But will the reforms make a difference?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Contributors:
Sarah Sackman KC, courts and legal services minister
Chris Kinch, KC, who until 2024 was a senior judge at Woolwich Crown Court in south London
David Ford, national chair of the Magistrates Association

The former US ambassador Peter Mandelson is on bail after being arrested on suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office.
Police have been investigating claims that when he was Business secretary, he shared market-sensitive government information with the financier Jeffrey Epstein.
His arrest comes a few days after police arrested Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, also on suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office, when he was a trade envoy. He is suspected of sharing confidential government documents with Epstein.
The arrests come after the release of a large number of files by the US Department of Justice. These relate to the activities of Jeffrey Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender. He died in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of the sex-trafficking of underage girls.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was friends with Epstein. So was Lord Mandelson.
The BBC has approached Andrew Mountbatten Windsor for a response to these claims. He has always rejected any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein and denied any personal gain from his role as trade envoy.
Lord Mandelson has not publicly commented in recent weeks on the Epstein files, but the BBC understands his position is he has not acted in any way criminally and that he was not motivated by financial gain.
But what exactly is Misconduct in Public Office? It's a common law offence, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but the Law Commission of England and Wales describes it as "ill-defined ".
So how did it evolve, who does it apply to, how does it work in practice?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Senior Producer: Ravi Naik
Producer: Charlotte Rowles
Contributors:
Gareth Roberts, Barrister, Exchange chambers
Kate Bex KC, Red Lion chambers
Jeremy Horder, Professor of Criminal Law, the London School of Economics
Dr Hayleigh Bosher, a Reader in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel, University of London.

Politically motivated attacks on the legal profession in the UK have led to barristers, solicitors, advocates and judges being subjected to violence, death threats and rape threats. Some have faced threats to their family members.
This is according to the The Bar Council of England and Wales, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, the Bar of Northern Ireland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland. These organisations represent a quarter of a million lawyers across the UK, and they have come together to warn about an increasing climate of hostility against legal professionals.
They say that law firms have been targeted by protesters, and they point out that lawyers are not their clients. So how bad has the situation become, and is it threatening justice or even democracy?
Also on the programme:
The Scottish Parliament has passed the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill after 3 days of debates and almost 400 amendments lodged - so why is the bill so controversial?
And using a dodgy "jailbroken-Firestick" to watch illegally-streamed TV may seem like a victimless crime - but is it?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Contributors:
Charlie Sherrard KC, criminal barrister with 2BR Chambers
Mark Evans, President of the Law Society
James Cook, BBC Scotland Editor
Éamon Chawke, a solicitor who specialises in intellectual property law at Briffa legal

When the Labour government came to power in 2024, it faced a crisis in the criminal courts, with ever-longer delays and a growing backlog of cases.
The Ministry of Justice's budget is now one third higher in real terms than in 2019, but according to the latest figures, crown court cases that are yet to be heard reached a record high of 78,329.
In October, the Justice Secretary David Lammy promised extra funding to increase the number of days that English and Welsh courts will sit next year.
But is throwing money at the problem enough? How can the courts service be improved, and should jury trials be limited to help clear the backlog?
Also in the programme:
Protests in support of the banned group Palestine Action could result in trials for as many as 2100 people - so how do courts deal with a sudden influx of cases?
And are UK laws fair to football fans?
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Contributors:
Claire Waxman, Victims Commissioner designate,
Riel Karmy-Jones KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales,
Dr Steven Cammiss, Associate Professor in Law at the University of Birmingham,
Professor Geoff Pearson, Professor of Law, University of Manchester.

Immigration has dominated headlines for months, but what UK laws cover this most emotive of issues?
When someone arrives here, what are the legal routes they have to take if they want to stay in the UK? What's the legal difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? What does "indefinite leave to remain" mean? And what's the difference between being deported, being removed and being extradited?
How do immigration hearings work? Are our immigration laws fit for purpose, and do they enable us to remove people when required?
Also on the programme:
How will the government's digital ID plans help curb illegal immigration?
and wigs in court; as the bar council updates dress advice for its members, we ask two barristers if wigs have had their day.
Presenter: Dr Joelle Grogan
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles
Contributors
Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford
Paul Gulbenkian, solicitor at OTS solicitors and former immigration Judge
Morgan Wild, Chief Policy Adviser, Labour Together
Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe, barrister at 23 Essex Street chambers
Benet Brandreth KC, barrister at 11 South Square chambers