Ballantine

Ballantine, William, born in 1812, was the son of a well-known metropolitan magistrate, and was himself called to the bar in 1834, and created Serjeant-at-law in 1856. His skill in mastering cases and addressing juries soon gave him a large and lucrative practice in the Crown courts. He figured in almost every important criminal trial, including the notorious Tichborne case, in the earlier stage of which he acted for the defendant. His last great brief was that which he held for the Gaekwar of Baroda in 1875. His health failing, he devoted his last years to recording his Experiences of a Barrister's Life (1882), which was followed up by another series of sketches. The Old World and the New (1884). He died in 1886.