Prima facie

Prima facie - the legal term for a case that appears sufficient on first evidence

Tessa has made it: from a working-class background to a sought-after criminal defence barrister who wears her horsehair wig with pride. Her diary is packed. She successfully defends men charged with sexual assault - getting them off, because a good defence counsel simply tells the best version of the story. "In sexual assault cases it's usually one person's word against another's / Yes, the sexual act took place, but was it consensual?"

Her job is to find the gaps in the prosecution's case. She scrutinises the victims' statements. Because it's usually the women who face the toughest cross-examination. And Tessa is after legal truth: she doesn't have to prove whether the victim consented, only that the defendant didn't know consent was absent.

In the evenings it's off to the pub - with Alice and Julian - where prosecco and tequila flow freely. At least when there's something to celebrate. But a word of caution: "One rule among lawyers: / don't boast about a win. / The very next day you could lose." Tessa rarely does lose, though, and her colleagues value her advice. Julian needs her help too. One evening after work, over vodka and small talk, the two grow closer and end up together in Julian's office. Could this become something more? It almost looks that way.

They sleep together again - and both enjoy it. But then something happens that Tessa never thought possible. Julian becomes sexually aggressive. And Tessa is left asking how her life can go on from here. Was it just bad sex while heavily drunk, or was it rape? "So much is at stake: / my private life, / friends, / family. / My career. / Everything, absolutely everything. / That terrifies me." Tessa goes to the police.

She becomes a witness for the prosecution and from that point on she experiences the courtroom from the other side. The things she discovers in the process...