Lawyer X / Anthony Dowsley, Patrick Carlyon.

"A criminal barrister turns police informer risking everything"--Cover.

"The scandalous story of how Melbourne's gangland war was really won"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references.

Lawyer X is the definitive story of Melbourne's gangland wars and its most glamorous and compelling central character, based on the ground-breaking work of investigative journalists Anthony Dowsley and Patrick Carlyon. Melbourne's gangland war was an era dominated by murders, stings, hits, drug busts, corruption and greed – inspiring bestselling books and even a popular TV series, Underbelly. It took the police a decade to curtail the violence and bring down criminal kingpins Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel and their accomplices. When the police finally closed the case file, just how they really won the war, with the help of an unlikely police informer, would become a closely guarded secret and its exposure, the biggest legal scandal of our time. Lawyer X is the scandalous, true story of how a promising defence barrister from a privileged background broke all the rules – becoming both police informer and her client's lover – sharing their secrets and shaping the gangland war that led to sensational arrests and convictions. The story of how Nicola Gobbo became Lawyer X, and why, is a compelling study in desperation and determination.