Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #335689 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
This text is primarily intended for students who are new to the study of law or new to an LLB programme. It attempts to dispel the mystique which surrounds the study and practice of law and to enable the student to make a confident start to study. Includes a chapter on the Human Rights Act 1998.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Introduction to Legal Study
I'm a mature student changing career into law and I have been reading a number of introductory texts. Along with Glanville Williams' classic "Learning the Law", this is by far the best such book that I have read.

Written by a lecturer from the University of Essex, the reader is first given a general overview of the English legal system covering the courts and judiciary, common law and equity, precedent, interpretation of statutes and European law. Whilst none of these are described in great depth, the treatment is solid and accurate, succeeding in its goals of exciting interest in the subjects and preparing the reader for further study of them. Unusually, the chapter on the Human Rights Act 1998 is excellent - too many other books of this type gloss over the subject, expecting the student to find information elsewhere. Here the author proceeds through the key articles of the European Human Rights Convention, relates it to the HRA and even provides case references for interpretation - by far the most impressive introduction to the area that I have seen.

Later chapters on academic, study and examination skills are equally valuable and well written, with a consistent focus on what examiners are expecting and how students can meet these targets. This section is priceless for mature students like myself, whose academic skills may be rusty, but also has great value for A-level students who will find university education very different to what they have experienced to date.

The final part of the book covers careers in the law but does so at a superfical level. However, anyone expecting to succeed as a lawyer would rightly be expected to put some further research into their choice of career and I cannot criticise the author for her treatment of this important area.

Three full case reports are included in the appendices - they make enjoyable reading and are explained clearly and informatively in the main text.

To conclude: £25 is not much to spend preparing for your law degree. If you buy this book and Williams' seminal work, you will have change from that and spent the money very wisely indeed.

A must for all law undergraduates
This book is ideal for law undergraduates, especially in Year 1. The book cleverly breaks up different aspects of law in order to make it accessible.

The book covers subjects such as essay writing, the best way to take lectures notes and how to make the best out of seminars. As well as these general student issues, the book covers legal skills such as: how to reference cases within an essay and how to do footnotes.

Overall the book manages to include a large amount of relevant information into a book that can be referred to throughout your studies.