Some people think that Melbourne lawyer Julian Burnside launched himself from obscurity to media stardom on the back of his appearances in the waterfront dispute and Tampa when he battled the Howard government.

Wrong. Burnside can thank former solicitor Andrew Fraser for bringing him to the media’s attention.

Fraser, who was convicted on cocaine trafficking charges and who spent five years in prison before being released this year, briefed Burnside to act for Alan Bond in the mid 1990s when Bond went on trial for various white collar offences. These were high profile cases and Burnside was regularly seen on national prime time TV news with his client striding down Perth’s St George’s Terrace.

Now Burnside is returning the favour and assisting Fraser in his metamorphosis from lawyer to prisoner to well, it’s hard to tell.

Next Monday at the Avenue Bookstore in Albert Park, Burnside is launching Fraser’s long awaited tell all story of his travails as a high flying criminal lawyer and subsequent fall from grace. No doubt Fraser’s book will sell like hotcakes if only because former colleagues and associates will want to thumb through it to see if they get a honourable, or some other type of mention.

Fraser’s book, Court in the Middle is being published by staunch republican supporter Sandy Grant of Hardie Grant Publishing.