In this informative account, Bryan Gibson places St Yves - born Erwan Helouri - on a par with Robin Hood, Jessie James and Ned Kelly in terms of their appeal to various national psyches - and up there alongside Joan of Arc and Bernadette of Lourdes as regards his native France. But whilst conventional outlaws used bows, arrows, six-guns and bullets to 'rob the rich to help the poor', St Yves challenged the poverty and social inequality which he saw as the root of many a prosecution or claim via argument, debate, reason and consensus. At a time when bribery and corruption was rife, St Yves waged an historic struggle to enhance the fairness of proceedings and their outcomes.Hailing St Yves as an icon of justice, counselling, mediation and reform, Gibson explains why Erwan Helouri deserves to be better known, including for the values of decency, integrity and ethics that his approach to resolving conflict imparts. The result is not just a fascinating portrayal of the man but a work that will serve as an encouragement to anyone who believes that there are better ways of doing justice.
Building on connections across time, place and elements of the supernatural, "Law, Justice and Mediation: The Legend of St Yves" also stands in its own right as an enlightening and compelling tale. As Guardian columnist and legal commentator Marcel Berlins writes in the Foreword: 'St Yves deserves to be far better known than he is, especially in the English-speaking world, and in Bryan Gibson he has found a worthy champion'.