Law Books Every Lawyer should Read

1. About Law – Tony Honoré

This is the first book I read when I decided I wanted to study Law. It’s also the only one I put
on my personal statement when applying to Oxford. I think it proves that it’s better to read
and enjoy a small number of high-quality books than to show off with hundreds of things you
don’t understand.
About Law is probably the most basic introduction to law that you can get. Tony Honoré is a
very well-renowned legal academic, who has managed to condense his knowledge to provide
an introduction to the law that is both simple and interesting. He discusses all kinds of topics,
for instance, the purpose of law, how it works (in simple terms) and he also gives a basic
introduction to the English legal system.
It is strongly suggested that you read this book first, and read it even if you read nothing else
on this list. It starts at the basics, and is a short book, but by the time you’ve finished it you’ll
know far more than when you started.

2. Landmarks in the Law – Lord Denning

Another fairly basic book, Lord Denning’s Landmarks in the Law is a fascinating run-
through of some of the biggest events in English law. Both legally and historically, it’s
extremely valuable.
Another reason for recommending this book is the skill and prestige of its author. Lord
Denning was arguably one of the most influential judges there has ever been. His focus was
on making the law accessible to normal people, and he did it with exceptional talent. His
judgments are unparalleled, but if you can’t access them, this book is the next best thing.

3.  Letters to a Law Student – Nicholas McBride

This is a collection of ‘letters’ to a fictional student about what it’s like to study Law, and it
also gives some basic explanation of the legal system.
The main focus is on telling you how to study effectively, and the advice it gives is pretty
good. McBride gives all kinds of sensible and useful advice, from general topics like how
much work you should be doing, to more specific things like how to make notes on a case.

4. Bleak House – Charles Dickens

Reading should be interesting as well as useful, so here’s the first fiction book on the list!
Dickens was arguably one of the greatest storytellers to have lived, and Bleak House is often
cited as his very best work. The story revolves around a court case concerning a number of
wills, and most of it takes place in the legal areas of London. Not only is it one of the greatest
books ever written, but it has particular relevance to Law students because it gives an insight
into the character and tradition of the legal profession.

5. Learning the Law – Glanville Williams

Similar to About Law at number one, this book is a slightly more detailed explanation of the
English legal system. It’s quite old, so some parts of it are out of date, but most are still
accurate and Williams explains things very well.

6.  To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

A second fiction book, Lee’s novel is about racism and society in 1930s America. Like Bleak
House, it’s a classic in its own right. The specific relevance to Law students is that its main
character, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer tasked with defending a man shunned by everyone else.
Finch represents the legal ideals of justice and equality, and the book is a great source of
inspiration for those wondering why law is important, and why rights must be protected.
Legal heroes (even fictional ones) remind us why we’re studying the law.

7. Jeremy Hutchinson’s Case Histories – Thomas Grant

From a fictional hero to a real one, this is a recent book about the numerous, thrilling cases
that criminal barrister Jeremy Hutchinson has been involved in. From drug smuggling to the
‘Profumo affair’, Hutchinson represented some of the most notorious characters to have
appeared in the courts in the last century.
His techniques and his level of success in court are incredibly impressive. I recommend you
read this for a taste of the thrill and importance of life as an advocate.

8. Winning Arguments – Jay Heinrichs

Keeping with the theme of advocacy, you might like to read Jay Heinrichs’ Winning
Arguments. The theme of the book needs little explanation but has particular relevance to
Law students. Much of the work you will do as either a student or a lawyer will involve
coming up with arguments that appear to be correct (even if they aren’t), to give both sides
fair representation.
Heinrichs’ book is full of good advice on how to structure your ideas and use clever
rhetorical techniques, and it’s also light-hearted and fun to read.

9. Lord Denning, A Life – Iris Freeman

Linking back to some of the earlier books on the list, this biography is worth a read as
inspiration for any aspiring lawyers. I’ve already given a brief insight into the importance of
Lord Denning and the uniqueness of his writings, so I thought I’d include his biography in
case you’d like to find out more.
As well as being a great judge, Lord Denning is an important figure because he rose to such a
lofty position from a very poor family, who was not involved in the law at all. While many
English judges have been wealthy or even aristocratic, Lord Denning worked his way from
humble beginnings to the position of Master of the Rolls (the second-highest judge in the
land, and the master of the Court of Appeal). Nor did he forget his past when he reached
these heights, and his approach to the law proves it.
I recommend this book because it shows that you can become a great lawyer no matter where
you come from.

10. On Liberty – John Stuart Mill

My last recommendation is not actually one book, but a choice of three.
Jurisprudence is the study of the philosophy of law (or why and how it exists), and Ronald
Dworkin, Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart, and John Stuart Mill were some of the pre-eminent
thinkers in this subject.
Mill believed that the most important thing in society was the liberty of the individual. He
said that the only justification for law was to prevent harm to others. His most famous work is
an essay called On Liberty.
Hart thought that law was simply a collection of man-made rules, which we created and we
can choose to follow or ignore. He wrote The Concept of Law.
Dworkin, meanwhile, felt that law was a product of morality, and that law cannot exist
without it. His ideas are therefore directly opposed to those of Hart, and the two authors
argued about this for many years (the question remains unresolved). You can find Dworkin’s
ideas in his book, Law’s Empire.
The reason I’ve suggested you choose one of these three books is that they’re all very
academic. If you’ve ever wondered why we have law and how it works, there’s no better
place to answer those questions than through these books. But as this is a very complicated
subject, the books are naturally very complicated. I recommend you work out which of the
above three ideas you think you agree with and read the corresponding book.