The legal profession, once held to the highest standards of truth and justice, is witnessing a steady erosion of its moral compass. Recent cases like Will Green’s and the Welsh pier incident show just how far it has decayed. Green, a former England rugby player, was pressured to lie about having dementia to bolster a class-action brain injury lawsuit. His refusal to participate, after a second medical scan revealed no signs of brain damage, resulted in threats of legal and medical costs from the solicitors representing him. Similarly, Kirsty Williams-Henry, a Welsh woman who falsely exaggerated her injuries after falling from a pier, exposed another form of legal manipulation—where the pursuit of financial gain eclipses truth and integrity.
But, perhaps, the most scandalous illustration of legal misconduct in recent history is the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, a case that brought into stark relief just how far the legal system has fallen. Over 700 innocent sub-postmasters and mistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to faults in the Horizon computer system. Many of these individuals were criminally prosecuted, financially ruined, and in some cases even imprisoned, all on the basis of flawed evidence. It took decades of fighting for these victims to finally see justice, with convictions quashed and compensation eventually awarded. But the damage was done—lives were shattered, reputations destroyed, and the legal system’s failure to act with integrity was laid bare for all to see.
The Post Office Horizon scandal is not an isolated case. It sits alongside other examples of deep-rooted dishonesty and legal failures that have had devastating consequences for those involved. The UK contaminated blood scandal, which saw thousands of people infected with HIV and hepatitis C through tainted blood products in the 1970s and 1980s, is another instance where the pursuit of justice was obscured by legal manoeuvring and bureaucratic delays. Victims spent decades fighting for recognition, accountability, and compensation, while the legal system dragged its feet, protecting the interests of the powerful over the rights of the vulnerable.
In Kirsty Williams-Henry’s case, her claim for £2.3 million in damages against Associated British Ports (ABP) was based on the exaggerated assertion that her injuries rendered her incapable of working. Despite suffering brain damage from the fall, she misrepresented the extent of her disability, forcing ABP to spend £300,000 in legal fees before it became clear her case was hopeless. Her solicitors persisted long after they should have known better, underscoring how profit, rather than ethics, drives many in the profession.
Where has the fundamental honesty and integrity of lawyers gone? These cases highlight the shifting priorities in a profession that once stood for truth, justice, and the best interests of clients. Today, the race to win at any cost has replaced the values that once defined the profession. “A lawyer’s word is their bond” has all but disappeared, replaced by a focus on billable hours and securing victories, regardless of the toll on justice.
I’ve spent over 40 years navigating the increasingly convoluted and disillusioning legal landscape. The first signs of this moral decline became apparent in the early 2000s. What had once been a noble profession dedicated to service became a business driven by high fees, aggressive tactics, and a dog-eat-dog mentality. By 2012, I could no longer practice in England, where law had strayed too far from its original purpose.
This decay isn’t new. Shakespeare captured the tarnished reputation of lawyers in Henry VI with the line: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Dickens too exposed the corruption in the system in Bleak House. They both foresaw a profession losing sight of its ideals, where self-interest and bureaucracy create more obstacles to justice than solutions.
By the time I began practicing in the 1980s, the seeds of this self-interest had already taken root. Overcharging clients was the norm, with time-recording systems that seemed designed to justify inflated fees. Clients who once trusted their solicitors to handle matters efficiently found themselves facing lengthy retainers and legal jargon that masked exploitation.
The greed and incompetence I’ve witnessed reached a new low when Simpson Millar, a national law firm, took over JWK Solicitors, of which I was a director. At the time of acquisition, JWK was a reputable and profitable firm. We had built a strong business founded on client trust, ethical practices, and solid legal work. But under Simpson Millar’s control, everything unraveled. Their pursuit of profit over people was apparent, and the once-thriving business was brought to its knees.
Simpson Millar’s recent financial woes further expose the rot at the heart of their operations. In their 2023 annual accounts, the firm reported a staggering £14.4m in pre-tax losses, more than double the £6.3m losses from the previous year. Turnover fell sharply by 39%, down to £19m, as parts of the business were shut down to cut costs. This is the result of greed-driven mismanagement. Their focus on expanding their empire while neglecting the basic principles of good legal practice led to the destruction of what was once a respected firm. What happened to JWK under their stewardship is a microcosm of the wider decline in legal ethics that we are witnessing across the profession.
In both Green’s and Williams-Henry’s cases, as well as the Post Office Horizon scandal and the collapse of Simpson Millar, the profession’s rot is clear. Solicitors pressure clients to fabricate or exaggerate claims, prolonging cases unnecessarily and driving up costs. Overzealous pursuit of compensation, even when it’s clear a claim is exaggerated, reflects the deep-seated dishonesty that has come to define much of legal practice.
The art of practising law lies not just in knowing the law but in understanding the people it affects. That human element has been lost in a system built for profit and revenue generation. The failure to gather proper evidence or address substantive issues is a disgrace to a profession founded on fairness and integrity.
Is it any wonder that by 2012, I decided to leave law in England? The profession had become an industry that placed profit over people. Law firms, instead of acting in the best interests of clients, relied on legal jargon and protracted litigation, obscuring the real issue: justice and protecting the vulnerable.
Reflecting on my career, the legal profession’s drift toward dishonesty and manipulation is undeniable. The stories of Green, Williams-Henry, the Post Office Horizon scandal, the contaminated blood scandal, and the fall of Simpson Millar serve as stark reminders of how far it has fallen. Until the legal profession reclaims the principles of integrity and fairness, it will continue to face the scorn Shakespeare and Dickens predicted centuries ago.
Don’t go to the law: A cautionary tale for clients
When people face a legal issue, whether it’s a dispute with a neighbor or a consumer complaint, their first instinct is often to seek out a solicitor. But before rushing into the legal system, consider this: hiring a solicitor can turn a small problem into a drawn-out, expensive ordeal where you lose sight of the solution and get trapped in the slow grind of the legal system.
The typical experience goes like this: You enter a legal firm with a straightforward issue, expecting advice and guidance. Instead, the solicitor begins with paperwork—verifying your identity, completing money-laundering checks—making your case feel like an afterthought. Hours of billable work later, you receive a client care letter and an alarming cost estimate. You’re already down a thousand pounds before any real legal action has begun.
What started as a minor issue turns into a drawn-out battle of legal fees and procedure, with the actual law getting lost along the way. Months pass, and the costs mount up, leaving you feeling like a small ship firing hopelessly at a much larger adversary. By the time you decide to settle or withdraw, you’re left out of pocket with little to show for your trouble. It’s often bewildering why the solicitor didn’t just resolve the matter with a phone call early on.
Overcharging clients has become the norm. And often, solicitors overlook simple solutions in favor of more protracted, expensive processes. This has been my observation and experience across decades of practice in civil litigation, from personal injury lawsuits to cross-border disputes and more.
The reality is that many in the legal profession lack empathy for the people whose lives they’re affecting. For clients, especially those from working-class backgrounds, this disconnect can be devastating. The legal process can feel like stepping into a world where the rules are designed not to help, but to hinder.
My advice? Avoid the law whenever possible. Consider alternatives like mediation or arbitration—methods that resolve disputes quickly, fairly, and without the astronomical costs of litigation. Over 40 years of experience have taught me that the legal system, as it stands today, is too often a trap for the unwary. Until it changes, the best advice I can offer is to stay out of it unless absolutely necessary.