What was behind a legal life lived in the spotlight? In this extended conversation between Professor Adam Lazowski and Dame Eleanor Sharpston KC, one of the most important European lawyers of her generation, two friends lift the curtain on what was happening backstage.Over nine chapters, they discuss Eleanor’s early life, her university years, and her parallel career at the Bar and in academe. They move on to consider her leading cases in the English courts, which included Brown and Others (Operation Spanner) and the Metric Martyr, before laying out a thoughtful insider’s assessment of her time on the Bench at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. The closing chapter of the book is dedicated to current events, including the rule of law crisis and the future of European integration. A candid, illuminating and often amusing discussion with a transformative European lawyer.