"A man with a lean and hungry look who thinks too much" is the way that Julian Hall described himself during the recent Supreme Court trial where he was accused of stealing half a million for an elderly client.

The quote refers to Cassius, a character in the William Shakespeare play "Julius Caesar", who conspires in the murder of Caesar and later, facing defeat in battle, commits suicide.

Mr. Hall was born on March 4, 1950 and attended Victor Scott Primary, Berkeley Institute and Mount Allison University in Canada. In university he started out as a pre-med student, but quickly switched to law. He has also always had an interest in theatre and show business.

In 1970, he graduated valedictorian. He was called to the Bar in October, 1974.

Under the sponsorship of Conyers Dill & Pearman he went to the London School of Economics. Later he went to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC as a research fellow in international law.

After being called to the Bar, he became an associate at Conyers Dill & Pearman.

"I was the first black lawyer employed by Conyers Dill & Pearman or any of the large law firms in Bermuda," Mr. Hall told the jury during this case.

He said the large law firms had only agreed to employ lawyers of colour with great reluctance. "It took me a short time to make something of myself," Mr. Hall said. "I have fought a number of high profile cases. Now I am essentially self-employed. I am a consultant to various law firms. I am unable to appear as a barrister in the courts of Bermuda and am unable to earn a living."

Mr. Hall is unable to practise law in Bermuda because he has been declared bankrupt. He has called this a catch-22. He cannot practise law because he has debts, and he can not pay back his debts because he cannot practise law. Over the years Mr. Hall, regarded as one of the Island's best courtroom lawyers, has fought many high-profile cases. In 1989 he successfully defended Michael Meredith who was accused of bludgeoning his wife Jacqueline to death.

He also helped to represent Erskine (Buck) Burrows and Larry Tacklyn in the court of appeals in December 1977 on the day that they were hung for the murders of Governor Sir Richard Sharples and Captain Hugh Sayers. He told the court he first met Betty Lorraine McMahon's younger daughter Bettina ? who the crown alleged was conspiring with him to get Mrs. McMahon's money ? in the 1980s when he was asked to represent Bettina's boyfriend John Phillips of the band 'Mamas and the Papas' on a drug charge in Bermuda.

As part of Mr. Phillips' sentence, Mr. Hall arranged for Mr. Phillips to perform at St. Brendan's Hospital, free of charge.

Mr. Hall first began to run into financial difficulties in 1977 when he organised a summer concert called Summerfest at the end of June. The concert featured Ramsey Lewis, Wild Cherry, the band Tavares and many other well known names.

"Musically it was a great success, but financially it was a great disaster," Mr. Hall told the court recalling this event.

Music fans came into the stadium under the fence, and reportedly did quite a lot of damage and Mr. Hall was responsible for paying the bills.

Politically, Mr. Hall has been very active. In court, Mr. Hall said he had fought for human rights in many different arenas including capital punishment.

"I rose within the ranks of the United Bermuda Party and was deputy chairman by the age of 27," he said.

It was not long after the hanging of Burrows and Tacklyn that he crossed the floor and joined the Progressive Labour Party. He was elected to the House of Assembly in 1989 and held the shadow portfolios of justice and environment at one time. After a colourful and controversial term in the House, he lost his Hamilton West seat, in part because of a dismissive approach to canvassing. In 1982 an attempt was made to disbar Mr. Hall for contravening the Barristers (Accounts and Records) Rules 1976 by failing to produce the books, records, files accounts and other documents relating to his trust accounts. Also in 1982 Mr. Hall was declared bankrupt although he said he was owed half a million dollars by various people including the Hotel Employers of Bermuda. Not long after this a law was passed barring bankrupt lawyers from practising law in Bermuda, effectively ending Mr. Hall's career for a time.

Mr. Hall referred to this in the court case as "the Julian Hall law". He alleged that it was set up primarily to stop him from practising law again. Others have argued that lawyers who cannot handle their own money pose a risk to the clients whose money they are entrusted with.

After being bankrupt, Mr. Hall went abroad to practise.

In the 1990s, lawyer Charles Vaucrosson invited to pay back Mr. Hall's debts if he agreed to come and work for him for a number of years, saying that "a mind is a terrible thing to waste". Mr. Vaucrosson became involved in his own legal proceedings, and the bank fearing that Mr. Vaucrosson was no longer able to back Mr. Hall's debts, called in the debts. This forced Mr. Hall towards bankruptcy for a second time. In July, 1995 while Mr. Hall was attempting to get his debts in order again he received a phone call from Bettina McMahon telling him that her mother wanted him to represent her legally. This launched the McMahon chapter in Mr. Hall's life.

Mr. Hall was married in 1981, but is divorced. He has four children.