Eggshell Skull – An Unveiling Of The Qld Justice System
The “eggshell skull” rule is named after the example frequently used in law schools. The example describes an imaginary person who has an extremely thin skull that is as fragile as an eggshell, even though he looks completely normal. This person is hit in the head by someone else. A normal person would only have been bruised by the hit, but the person with the eggshell skull dies. The “eggshell skull” rule says that the person who hit the eggshell-skulled person is responsible for the much greater harm caused by the death, not just the amount of harm that a normal person would have suffered.
Eggshell Skull By Bri Lee
This is the story of Bri’s journey through the Australian legal system; first as the daughter of a policeman, then as a law student, and finally as a judge’s associate in both metropolitan and regional Queensland-where justice can look very different, especially for women. The injustice Bri witnessed, mourned and raged over every day finally forced her to confront her own personal history, one she’d vowed never to tell. And this is how, after years of struggle, she found herself on the other side of the courtroom, telling her story.
Bri Lee has written a fierce and eloquent memoir that addresses both her own reckoning with the past as well as with the stories around her, to speak the truth with wit, empathy and unflinching courage. Eggshell Skull is a haunting appraisal of modern Australia from a new and essential voice.
Duffy’s Review Of Eggshell Skull
Bri Lee takes us through her year as a young judges associate. A fearless young woman with values deeply ingrained, primarily taught by her father who was a policeman, she is nervous and excited to expense some justice. However, what follows is a growing disillusionment with the justice system as Lee is exposed to the rampant cases of sexual assault and rape that seems, through the Queensland court system to be endemic.
The cases Lee deals with on the district circuit triggers something that happened in her own past and the honesty and eloquence in which Bri tells her story can be quite difficult to read at times. Lee leaves nothing out; her frustrations, her anxiety, her fears, her steely determination and even her bias towards the justice system. Lee has an agenda here, a powerful one which is delivered with intelligence, vulnerability, and fierce determination.
An important piece of non-fiction which unveils the Queensland justice system and delivers an eye-opening view of modern Australia, both it’s strengths and weaknesses. It also shines a light on just how hard it is for an intelligent woman who is legally trained to get her day in court and to follow the processes. How does the average Australian with no knowledge of the system get heard?
A must-read for anyone working in law, and for anyone who has had to deal with harassment, assault, and general d*ckheads on a daily basis. Whilst Bri’s story may infuriate you in places, in others, you’ll learn that there are good people and good judges out there fighting the good fight. We just need to grow in number.
Buy Eggshell Skull for under $25!
Published by Allen & Unwin
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