What About Law

Most young people considering studying law, or pursuing a legal career, have very little idea of what learning law involves and how universities teach law to their students. The new edition of this book, which proved very popular when first published in 2007, provides a 'taster' for the study of law; a short, accessible presentation of law as an academic subject, designed to help 17- and 18-year old students and others decide whether law is the right choice for them as a university subject, or, if they have already made the choice, what to expect when they start their law degree. It helps answer the question 'what should I study at university?' and counters the perception that law is a dry, dull subject. What About Law? shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating, challenging and of direct relevance to students. Using a case study approach, the book introduces prospective law students to the legal system, as well as to legal reasoning, critical thinking and argument. This is a book that should be in the library of every school with a sixth form, every college and every university, and it is one that any student about to embark on the study of law should read before they commence their legal studies. All of the authors have long experience in teaching law at Cambridge and elsewhere and all have also been involved, at various times, in advising prospective law students at open days and admissions conferences. Listed as one of the 'Six of the best law books' that a future law student should read by the Guardian Law Online, 8th August 2012.

“'What About Law?' succeeds where so many legal guidebooks fail ... [it] skilfully demystifies the law and ably proves its argument. The law is, indeed, all around us - and this book will whet your appetite to find out how and why.” – Alex Wade, The Times (of the previous edition) Law is one of the few subjects that the school leaver, choosing a degree course, will have very little real understanding of. This book comes to the rescue by clearly setting out what a prospective law student can expect and why a student should choose to study law. This new edition is updated to reflect the reality of studying law today, highlighting changes due to Brexit and reforms to constitutional law. The book covers the compulsory subjects every law student has to study: contract, criminal, property and trusts law, and brings them up to date. With a clear core structure and approach it takes a case from each of these subjects to illustrate legal issues and methodology. The writing style is accessible and has the audience – novices to law – firmly in mind. What About Law? shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating and challenging. It introduces prospective students to the legal system, legal reasoning, critical thinking and argument. Written by a team of experienced teachers, this book should be read by every student about to embark on the study of law.

“'What About Law?' succeeds where so many legal guidebooks fail ... [it] skilfully demystifies the law and ably proves its argument. The law is, indeed, all around us - and this book will whet your appetite to find out how and why.” – Alex Wade, The Times (of the previous edition) Law is one of the few subjects that the school leaver, choosing a degree course, will have very little real understanding of. This book comes to the rescue by clearly setting out what a prospective law student can expect and why a student should choose to study law. This new edition is updated to reflect the reality of studying law today, highlighting changes due to Brexit and reforms to constitutional law. The book covers the compulsory subjects every law student has to study: contract, criminal, property and trusts law, and brings them up to date. With a clear core structure and approach it takes a case from each of these subjects to illustrate legal issues and methodology. The writing style is accessible and has the audience – novices to law – firmly in mind. What About Law? shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating and challenging. It introduces prospective students to the legal system, legal reasoning, critical thinking and argument. Written by a team of experienced teachers, this book should be read by every student about to embark on the study of law.

What is law? This question has preoccupied philosophers from Plato to Thomas Hobbes to H. L. A. Hart. Yet many others find it perplexing. How could we possibly know how to answer such an abstract question? And what would be the point of doing so? In Legality, Scott Shapiro argues that the question is not only meaningful but vitally important. In fact, many of the most pressing puzzles that lawyers confront—including who has legal authority over us and how we should interpret constitutions, statutes, and cases—will remain elusive until this grand philosophical question is resolved. Shapiro draws on recent work in the philosophy of action to develop an original and compelling answer to this age-old question. Breaking with a long tradition in jurisprudence, he argues that the law cannot be understood simply in terms of rules. Legal systems are best understood as highly complex and sophisticated tools for creating and applying plans. Shifting the focus of jurisprudence in this way—from rules to plans—not only resolves many of the most vexing puzzles about the nature of law but has profound implications for legal practice as well. Written in clear, jargon-free language, and presupposing no legal or philosophical background, Legality is both a groundbreaking new theory of law and an excellent introduction to and defense of classical jurisprudence.

This brief book is designed to prepare students for their first year of law school, thereby decreasing their anxiety and increasing their chances of achieving academic success. Also appropriate for non-J.D. students, including LLM students from foreign countries and graduate students outside law school. Features: Gives student basic grounding in discrete non-legal topics that are important to the contemporary study of law Includes and“Test Your Understandingand” boxes to allow students to use what they are learning Friendly writing style Images and graphics help students remember material

This advanced introduction to central questions in legal philosophy attempts to breathe new life into stalled research.

'David Howarth's Law as Engineering is a profound contribution to the law. Evoking the level of originality associated with pioneering contributions to law and economics half a century ago, Howarth's book aligns law, not on economics, but on engineering styles of thought and problem solving. His analysis sheds deep light on a 21st century world where the work of transactional and legislative lawyers, who design and build social structures and devices much as engineers do physical ones, is becoming ever more important and complex, with far-reaching implications for both legal ethics and legal education.' – Scott Boorman, Yale university, US 'This is a brilliant, highly original analysis of what lawyers actually do and what they ought to do in order to protect their clients and the public. It will rescue lawyers from the kinds of behaviour that contributed to the financial crash. It also points legal education and research in important new directions.' – Sir Bob Hepple, Professor, QC FBA 'This book brings an important new perspective to a consideration of what lawyers do, and of what they are for. The implications explored in the book are an immensely valuable contribution to thinking on the future development of legal education and training. It should be read by everyone responsible for recruiting or training others for the law, whether in the public or the private sector.' – Sir Stephen Laws KCB, QC(Hon), LLD(Hon), First Parliamentary Counsel Law as Engineering proposes a radically new way of thinking about law, as a profession and discipline concerned with design rather than with litigation, and having much in common with engineering in the way it produces devices useful for its clients. It uses that comparison to propose ways of improving legal design, to advocate a transformation of legal ethics so that the profession learns from its role in the crash of 2008, and to reform legal education and research. Offering a totally new perspective, this book will be a fascinating read for law students and prospective law students, legal academics across all sub-fields, lawyers in government, especially those engaged in drafting legislation, and policymakers.