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KAREN PHILLIPPS
Karen Phillipps is a legal adviser, mediator and qualified barrister who practised at the Chancery and criminal Bars. After training at Gray’s Inn, she undertook her pupillage at 13 Old Square, Lincoln’s Inn.
In 1986, Karen met George Carman QC, one of the most celebrated advocates of his generation. Although she turned down his early proposal of marriage, the two formed a close platonic relationship which endured for the rest of Carman’s life. Karen became his companion and confidante, working and travelling with him, discussing his cases and witnessing many of his most memorable courtroom appearances.
When Carman died in 2001, he left his papers to Karen. Drawing on those papers, press cuttings and court transcripts, alongside her own extensive memories, she wrote Get Carman: In Court with George Carman QC, Britain’s Most Feared Lawyer – The Man Behind the Advocate, published by Biteback in 2024. The book explores both the extraordinary courtroom dramas that made Carman famous and the complex man beneath the barrister’s wig.
Get Thorpe
Julian Francis Godolphin & Karen Phillipps
One of the most sensational political scandals of the twentieth century culminated in the 1979 trial of former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe, who stood accused of conspiracy to murder.
For Get Thorpe, lawyer and author Julian Francis Godolphin joins barrister and Get Carman author Karen Phillipps for a fascinating analysis of the extraordinary events that led to the trial and the courtroom drama that followed.
At the centre of the case was George Carman QC, whose successful defence of Thorpe brought him to national prominence and helped establish his reputation as one of the most formidable advocates of his generation. Karen, Carman’s close companion and confidante, draws on her extensive knowledge of the man and the case, including the papers, press cuttings and court transcripts used in writing Get Carman.
Julian brings another perspective to the story. A lawyer, professional lobbyist and author with a lifelong fascination with how government and power really work, he has spent more than twenty years working around major political and constitutional events. His book, On His Majesty’s Service, explores the often unseen mechanisms at the heart of Britain’s political system.
Together, Julian and Karen will revisit the personalities, politics and legal strategy surrounding the Thorpe affair, exploring the events that brought a former party leader to the Old Bailey and examining the remarkable trial that followed.
