Law Books Information Exchange
With the new Law School, CPD, A/AS Level Law, Bar, and LPC Course Year approaching, www thelawjournal co uk thought it would be a good idea if its readers could share information on law books. As many have found, purchasing supplementary books and material is invaluable in succeeding in the courses.
We also welcome information on books for practicing Barristers and Solicitors. As well, non-UK and non-EU recommendations are also welcome, given Law has truly become a global enterprise.
Please take a look at the input below. If you know of additional books to consider, please e-mail Brian Risman.
If we help each other, all of us gain !
Now to the Law Books Information Exchange ...
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For those taking the core law courses, as well as those interested in simply reading UK Law, I strongly recommend the following books, all of which served me well in Law School.
An excellent study tool for all of the UK law courses, and indeed for those who want to gain a concise, readable understanding of various areas of the law, is the Lawcards Series from Cavendish, covering topics such as Contract and Criminal Law. The name "Lawcards" is misleading -- in fact each "card" in the series is a pocket-size book of around 150 to 200 pages, covering all of the issues in deep detail.
As well, for exam preparation I highly recommend the Q&A Series covering all major law topics including Land Law . Each book in this series covers 50 challenging exam questions, typical of what you will see on your paper. From personal experience, this series was invaluable.
Of course, we cannot forget a Law Dictionary! Without it, you will not understand legal terms and their context. I recommend Osborn's Concise Law Dictionary . It served me well.
For an excellent background on the English Legal System, a text frequently recommended -- and very readable -- is Gary Slapper and David Kelly's English Legal System . Given the complexity of the subject, this book will serve not only the first year course, but subsequent courses on any topic in Law. As well, it gives thoughtful opinions on the issues facing the Legal System. A great read!
For Criminal Law, the best text is Smith and Hogan's Criminal Law . This text is the most authoritative one out there. Criminal Law can be difficult -- you feel that you have mastered it, only to find that is not the case. However, with this book, you will be well prepared for any examination. As well, it makes better reading than any crime novel!
Contract Law has stymied many a first-year student with its complexities. Yet, the subject is one of the most interesting! An excellent book, using easy prose is Ewan McKendrick's Contract Law . The big advantage of this book is that at the end of every chapter, there is a concise, yet detailed summary of the points in that section. A wonderful book that I refer back to regularly.
Now, Constitutional and Administrative Law. This subject has scared off many students -- yet it can be your best mark. The book, Hilaire Barnett's Constitutional and Administrative Law is large but very readable. I read this book from end-to-end -- and it was well worth it, providing a wealth of material for any examination, including those in later years.
Trusts & Equities Law is one of the most challenging topics you will encounter. It is very similar to Land Law, covered below, so you would be well advised to study both concurrently -- or if that is impossible, then I suggest you pick up the recommended book for the course you have yet to take, and read it! Now back to the recommendation -- the best text is Parker and Mellows's The Modern Law of Trusts . Read that book through once, then once more thoroughly. If you are unsure about a topic, go back to that topic and re-read the section. The topic is complex, but Parker and Mellow's will make the difference!
For Land Law, which is deeply related to the aforementioned Trusts & Equities Law above, I recommend Cheshire and Burn's Modern Law of Real Property . As with the Constitutional Law recommendation, this book is big -- but excellent, interesting and readable from cover to cover. It is also a fascinating exposition of English history! More importantly, you will be well prepared for any examination on the subject.
Finally, Tort Law. Tort Law is complex, but is very important for virtually any elective you choose. Accordingly, you should select a book that not only will prepare you for the examination, but will serve as an excellent reference for later courses. The book I recommend is Markesinis and Deakin's Tort Law .
Lots of reading. Do you have any books to recommend ?
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Sir,
Yes those books are great but i would like to add to the lists. Having just finished my second year at the Law School, I found certain books very helpful and useful.
Principles of Public Law by Rosalind English (note: limited availability) is very good and easy to read.
Principles of Criminal Law by Duncan Bloy is also a very good book. This book carries a lot of case commentaries and opinions which any law student doing crime will definitely find very useful. It really helped me.
Principles of Criminal Law by Andrew Ashworth is also very good, but student reading this must be really patient as Professor Ashworth talk deeper on every crime topic than most authors, ie. justification, punishment etc.
For Constitutional Law, I would definitely recommend Critical Introduction by Ian Loveland . This is a very good book and student will enjoy reading this. It has most of the cases and full commentaries which most students would find very useful.
Thank you,
Kenny Anifowose.
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Here is an interesting book published just this week by e-lexia.net, the legal e-book publishers:
Beginning Land Law by Michael Harwood BA, LLB (Cantab), Solicitor
Whether you own a thousand acres, a semi-detached, or are homeless, land law is a serious matter for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Gaining an understanding of this area is fundamental to the study of law but the question is often asked “is land law more difficult than other subjects?”
In this eminently readable and light-hearted book, Mike Harwood takes the view that, today at least, there is little reason for students to find land law more difficult than any other subject in law; or less interesting and seeks to present the fundamentals of modern day land law as a more or less coherent and intelligible system.
This book gives a thorough grounding in this fascinating subject and concentrates on the sort of thing that matters to today’s law student (and therefore to her future clients). The buying and selling of land (a house, a factory, business premises, etc); obtaining that very first (or second or third) mortgage-loan (perhaps to go with that very first child); sharing ownership with a residential or a business partner; holding the land and family assets in trust for the grandchildren, for clients, etc; rights of access and of light to land; the use of legal devices to preserve your neighbourhood from unwelcome development and its adverse effect on the value of your own property (the Nimbyism of land law?); hopefully, concern for land as a social and public as well as a private asset; and so on.
This is what land law today is and should be seen to be about. Land law is not arcane, archaic or irrelevant; and should not be read as such.
Beginning Land Law is available as a .pdf download at www.e-lexia.net at £12.00 for the whole book or £2.00 per individual chapter.
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