We Set the Bar

‘A vibrant and vigorous story long overdue. Warrior and worker – Jo – tells it as it is. An intimate account of struggle on the publicly funded legal frontline – often maligned, often overlooked – but vital to sustaining the values and fabric of an egalitarian society under relentless attack right now from the forces of darkness.’ Michael Mansfield KC

‘Jo Delahunty KC is truly the best of us. We Set the Bar is more than just another barrister book; it is a manifesto, a confessional, an exposé and a tribute. It reminds us of why we choose to enter publicly funded law, and how unnecessarily difficult it often is to stay. The analysis of the challenges facing the profession – which are internal as much as external – is as devastatingly forensic as you would expect from a silk of four decades’ call. But what marks this book out is the humanity beating through every page. Jo Delahunty makes me proud to be a barrister. We Set the Bar is essential reading for anybody with any interest in justice.’ The Secret Barrister

‘Delahunty is an extraordinary legal powerhouse with intelligent, unflinching analysis. Ultimately, she gives the Bar a hug and a shake. A must-read from students to judges.’ Kirsty Brimelow KC, Barrister and Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales for 2026

‘Traces the journey of a woman who rose from a poor, single mother household to succeed at the Bar, navigating entrenched misogyny along the way. Her resilience and determination shine out from the many accounts of how she achieved justice for victims. She throws down the challenge to today’s generation, whose social mobility is more limited, by promising that it’s worth it and that the Bar can change.’ Baroness Ruth Deech KC (Hon)

‘A brave and honest account, relatable for many who have taken a less conventional journey to the bar. Jo characteristically challenges the power structures and stereotypes which hobble progress and equality, bringing to life their deep-rooted reality. Her “love letter” is an inspiring call to arms for all changemakers.’ Jenny Beck KC (Hon), Solicitor, Director and Chair of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory’s Board

‘An important, personal, angry, informative paeon of praise for the Legal Aid system and a passionate argument for equity at the Bar. Deeply personal and equally passionate, it should be required reading in all chambers – especially by leaders.’ Martin Elliott, Honorary Master of the Bench at Inner Temple, Professor Emeritus at University College London and Gresham College

‘Jo is a hero of the family law Bar. Her book is a raw, compelling and heartfelt forensic dissection of our justice system and what has gone so wrong for so long. Jo speaks truth to power and her voice is our voice. We must strive to do better, much better and quickly.’ Leslie Samuels KC, Chair of the Family Law Bar Association

‘A powerful, unflinching book which demands that the Bar must finally look and sound like the society it serves. Celebrating women’s contributions to the law, it names the barriers, calls out the hypocrisy and then leans down the ladder to pull others up, insisting that diversity, visibility and voice are non negotiable for a healthy justice system.’

Dana Denis-Smith OBE, First 100 Years and Deputy Vice President, Law Society

‘A fundamentally important book to be read by the leaders of the profession who for too long have tolerated the abuses and the failings it catalogues in such pitiless detail and by the politicians who for too long have starved the family justice system and the legal aid fund of the necessary resources. Read, and act! An often angry and impassioned but sadly all too justifiable denunciation of what is so wrong with the Bar and the family justice system – the continuing failures to stamp out sexual harassment and to improve the position of women and ethnic minorities both at the Bar and on the Bench and the cost and corner cutting tolerated by those, including the judges, who ought to know better. A tremendously powerful read. Much of the time I did not know whether to weep or to rage. But the overall message is resolutely positive, delivered by someone who really understands what the Bar and the family justice system are actually about, and concluding with a detailed and very necessary call to arms. What is so depressing is that it all still needs to be said - and the people who most need to read it probably won’t. The autobiographical sections give insights into the Bar over the last 40 years that will be of lasting value.’ Sir James Munby (1948-2026), former President of the Family Division of the High Court and Chair of Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, 23 December 2025

Professor Jo Delahunty KC, Emeritus Gresham Professor of Law, is one of the UK’s leading barristers, specialising in child protection law who, over her 40 years at the Bar, has chosen to champion the vulnerable, using her status and public platforms to speak out about wrongs in her working world. Being the child of a single parent from a working-class family and the first to go to university, she has defied the script for class and gender to challenge inequality and injustice, through her actions, achievements and public speaking. By writing about the realities of a life in law, confronting issues such as sexual harassment, bullying and lack of diversity she Sets The Bar for others to follow.