To what extent does the way in which a story is presented in a court of law affect the outcome? If style usually reflects the inner life or credo of an author, will an advocate’s plea or the reasoning in a judicial ruling be affected by style or personal inclinations, notwithstanding a general belief that justice according to law should be administered objectively? Questions of this kind arise from reading a fine, thought-provoking work by the well-known writer Gideon Haigh: The Brilliant Boy: Doc Evatt and the Great Australian Dissent. Haigh’s recently published biography covers the life and times of…