to expect there to be a simple book about law available ?

[adogcalledbetty]

DS 18 is starting a law degree in September .

He didn't do law A level and wants to do some reading around the subject before he gets to uni just to give him a bit of confidence. He's been sent an enormous reading list by the uni, but can anyone recommend some introductory type reading for him? He had a look at the Dummy's guide to law but it seemed very Americanised. Any suggestions?

What sort of law? criminal? family? Corporate? banking? Ecclesiastical??

I'd recommend Eddy on the English Legal System and Hogan, Seago & Bennett for the back drop to A Level law.

Glanville Williams - Learning the Law? perhaps a bit old fashioned now but was what I was recommended to read many moons ago as a new undergraduate

lawmaps (Law-Maps?) are good
not books but they're very helpful for first year law, too basic for beyond that but good to get an overview
is the uni near? there's always LOADS of intro/1st year law texts for sale on the campus I went to second hand on the notice boards/back of toilet doors etc

I used the English Legal System too that jumping recommended (not a law degree but shared modules with the law degree)

www.amazon.co.uk/LawMap-English-Legal-System-Cavendish/dp/1859419704
www.amazon.de/Law-Map-European-Union-S/dp/1859419674

Nutshells and Nutcases where what we used at uni as kind of "cheat" books to help get the bare bones of a particular subject, kind of like Cliffs notes for English Lit.

But I don't think you'll find a good introductory book for "the law" as such as it is so subject-specific. I would def recommend getting the Nutshells/cases books for each of the subjects that he will do in his first year.

yup used nutshells too
all very easy to get second hand on a campus that has law degrees

By the way all my uni professors were VERY derogatory about A level law, as they said it had to be taught so simplistically that it wasn't actually very helpful or accurate.

JumpingThroughHoops its a general law degree he's doing - think they specialise in the final year

oh and I didn't do A level law either but didn't seem to be at a disadvantage, still got an A in one module I shared with proper law students

if they are taking people without A level law then they will be teaching the first year accordingly

I didn't do A-Level Law (don't think it was available in mid-1990s - well not at my school anyway) and wasn't a problem. From working with interns and trainees I think Glanville Williams is still on the list!

In addition to any text book suggestions here how about reading the newspaper every day for stories with legal aspects and then doing a bit of online research/digging on the law involved in those stories to try and understand what principles are in conflict or how much politics influences law? It's always good to be quick at finding your way around good legal websites and he would start to build a picture of how broad the law is (as Jumping said family? corporate? ecclesiastical! there's many branches) and where it impacts on people's everyday lives - as well as hopefully giving him a better idea of which stories/branches of law interest him the most.

legal method and reasoning s hanson, the english legal system both gillespie and slapper's are very good as is law for none law students owens

OP.. I have several nutcases, nutshells, glanville williams etc. Happy to pass them along. Pm me if you interested

I did a law degree. You don't need any prior knowledge. I also think you might find the nutshells etc a bit baffling if you don't have any legal background.

When I did my law degree (many moons ago) the first few modules were intentionally set up to ease you into the thinking, the analysis of case law, etc. He will be fine.

If he wants to do some reading this summer, I would personally just read some good quality classic fiction, to get you back into the habit of reading dense prose. Cases can be a bit of an, arm, challenge, to get through.

Where's he off to?

This wasn't available at the time but I would highly recommend from knowing the authors www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/184946085X/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1841136328&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1AVWY58BF4FKFZTDYJ95

Another vote for Glanville Williams' "Learning the Law" here. And Bleak House - meets the requirement for dense prose and tells you quite a bit about the law.

Don't spend loads on books now as u will spent hundreds on essential books!!!! I've just seen how much law books I bought for £25 6 months ago are worth on amazon now and it's between 25p-£2!!!!

As well as background reading, if he is interested in criminal law do you have a CPS area office near you, where he could apply to do a week or fortnight of work experience during the summer?

I don't mean to 'dumb down' this thread but Alex McBride's 'Defending the Guilty' is a good read and might get him in the mood?

On iTunesU there are some basic introductory texts / audio files produced by the open university which can be downloaded for free.

Hi there. Congratulations to your son - great news.

First of all, it's no disadvantage to be starting without having done A-level law. In fact universities work on the assumption that everyone is new to the subject and he won't be at a disadvantage. There are also lots of criticisms of the subject at A level, anyway, which I broadly agree with (used to be a law lecturer, now practice).

Second, I agree with the comments people have made about it not really being possible to get a good overall intro book, as different law subjects are so different. Wherever your son is going there should be a 'legal systems'-type subject in his first year which is designed to help students understand how it all works.

Third, I really don't think Nutshells are necessary at this stage. Potentially useful for cramming later in the year, but they're not a good introduction - they're basically written for panic-stricken students who have skipped most of the year (and very helpful they are too, in that situation... from experience).

I think your son should relax and revel in the fact that he has got a place doing a fantastic, interesting and varied subject. And Wheezo's suggestion of reading the paper is a good one. He could sign up for something like the Guardian's 'Bundle' (weekly round-up of legal stories) which would definitely be helpful:

www.guardian.co.uk/law/series/the-bundle

Hope this all helps.

Anna
x

you could also suggest that he goes and sits in at some actual court hearings. Many of them are public hearings, and while he might be the only member of the public there, anyone can go and sit at the back. If he pops in to your local court building one day, a friendly usher ( look for someone with a clipboard) can probably tell him what's happening that day and whether he could go in.

Totally agree with LondonAnna and IHeartDusty. Great suggestions.

I would recommend that he gets the relevant law express books. You can find them on amazon.

They are very useful in revision for exams and I also find that they help confirm that you have grasped the basic principles.

iheartdusty - good idea about going to court hearings. Completely agree.