# Jaggers — Great Expectations character guide > Jaggers in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mr. Jaggers **First appearance:** 0018-xix ## Snapshot London's most feared criminal lawyer, who dispenses Pip's mysterious fortune with the same cold precision he brings to every guilty client. ## Who they are Jaggers rules his grimy Little Britain office like a courtroom, washing his hands of human messiness even as he profits from it. He guards his clients' secrets—and his own knowledge—with a deliberate, unnerving silence, and Pip's questions about his benefactor meet only the famous pocket handkerchief and a level stare. His refusal to explain makes him the story's engine of suspense: everything Pip wants to know passes through a man who will not tell. ## Relationships ### [Wemmick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/wemmick) _professional_ Jaggers is Wemmick's employer at the law firm, and Wemmick serves as his efficient, loyal clerk with a strict professional demeanor. ### [Pip](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/pip) _professional_ Jaggers is Pip's legal guardian and the mysterious benefactor's lawyer, maintaining a cold, authoritative professional relationship. ### [Estella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/estella) _professional_ Jaggers is Estella's legal guardian and the executor of Miss Havisham's schemes, maintaining a formal, secretive professional relationship. ### [Joe Gargery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/joe_gargery) _professional_ Jaggers interacts with Joe as a legal professional regarding Pip's expectations, treating him with condescension. ### [Drummle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/drummle) _professional_ Drummle is a client of Jaggers, but their relationship is marked by mutual disdain and Jaggers' contempt for Drummle's cruelty. ### [Pip](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/pip) _professional_ Jaggers is Pip's legal guardian and the mysterious benefactor's lawyer, maintaining a cold, authoritative professional relationship. ### [Wemmick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/wemmick) _professional_ Jaggers is Wemmick's employer at the law firm, and Wemmick serves as his efficient, loyal clerk with a strict professional demeanor. ### [Drummle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/drummle) _professional_ Drummle is a client of Jaggers, but their relationship is marked by mutual disdain and Jaggers' contempt for Drummle's cruelty. ### [Estella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/estella) _professional_ Jaggers is Estella's legal guardian and the executor of Miss Havisham's schemes, maintaining a formal, secretive professional relationship. ### [Wemmick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/wemmick) _professional_ Jaggers is Wemmick's employer at the law firm, and Wemmick serves as his efficient, loyal clerk with a strict professional demeanor. ### [Estella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/estella) _professional_ Jaggers is Estella's legal guardian and the executor of Miss Havisham's schemes, maintaining a formal, secretive professional relationship. ### [Joe Gargery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/joe_gargery) _professional_ Jaggers interacts with Joe as a legal professional regarding Pip's expectations, treating him with condescension. ## In the story ### [Great Expectations Are Revealed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xviii) Jaggers delivers the news of Pip's expectations with a stern, businesslike manner, laying down strict conditions. ### [Pip Arrives in London](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xx) Mr. Jaggers gives Pip instructions about his allowance and credit, and sends him with Wemmick to his office. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xxiv) Jaggers approves Pip's request for money, pays him twenty pounds, and is later seen in a police court dominating proceedings. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xxvi) Hosts dinner at his home, shows a strange interest in Drummle, and forces his housekeeper Molly to display her scarred wrists. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xxix) Jaggers joins them for whist, his cold presence unsettling Pip. ### [Pip's Return to the Blue Boar and Revelations with Herbert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xxx) Jaggers dismisses Pip's concerns about Orlick and pays him off, showing his pragmatic and confident nature. ### [Chapter XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xxxii) Referenced by Wemmick and the turnkey as a powerful and high-standing figure. ### [Chapter XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xxxvi) Jaggers formally hands over Pip's allowance and refuses to answer questions about the benefactor's identity. ### [XL](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xl) Jaggers confirms that Magwitch is Pip's benefactor, emphasizing his strict adherence to fact and cautioning Pip not to commit himself or anyone else. ### [Chapter XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xlviii) Invites Pip to dinner, discusses Drummle's marriage to Estella, and reveals his past defense of Molly in a murder trial. ### [XLIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/xlix) Mentioned as the one who brought Estella to Miss Havisham and gave Pip her note. ### [Chapter L](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/l) Defended the jealous woman in the murder trial, which first made his name known to Magwitch. ### [LI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/li) Mr. Jaggers is initially guarded but eventually presents a hypothetical case that indirectly confirms his role in Estella's adoption. He shows a rare moment of openness, acknowledging Pip's emotional appeal. ### [LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/lv) Jaggers is consulted by Pip about Magwitch's case but is querulous about the loss of the fortune. ### [LVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/chapters/lvi) Jaggers attempts to postpone Magwitch's trial but is refused. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters/jaggers - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/great_expectations_se/characters