Reading list
Books for law students that actually help
Twelve books for people learning how lawyers think, read and write. This is a short list on purpose: each book earns its place with one honest reason. Where a title belongs to a series, search the subject you need, because editions and subjects change.
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Learning how lawyers think
Before the cases and the statutes, it helps to understand what legal reasoning is. These short books explain it better than most lectures.
Thinking Like a Lawyer · Frederick Schauer
A clear, readable account of what is special about legal reasoning: rules, precedent and analogy.
An Introduction to Legal Reasoning · Edward H. Levi
A short classic on how courts reason from case to case. Dense but rewarding.
Law 101 · Jay M. Feinman
A plain-language tour of the American legal system for readers with no legal background.
Getting through law school and its exams
Exam answers are a skill of their own. These help you learn the structure that graders look for.
Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams · Richard Fischl and Jeremy Paul
Teaches you to see the issues on both sides, which is what most exam questions reward.
Examples & Explanations (series) · Aspen
Worked examples by subject, such as Contracts or Torts, with explained answers. Good for self-testing.
Emanuel Crunch Time (series) · Wolters Kluwer
Short, exam-focused outlines for revision in the last weeks.
Writing like a lawyer
Plain, precise writing is the skill that lasts longest, and the one clients and judges notice first.
Legal Writing in Plain English · Bryan A. Garner
Practical steps and exercises for clear legal prose, from one of the best-known writers on the subject.
Plain English for Lawyers · Richard C. Wydick
A short, direct guide to cutting legalese. Quick to read, easy to apply.
The Elements of Style · William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
Not about law, but the small rules of clear writing apply to every memo and every brief.
Reference books worth owning
You will look things up all your career. These are the ones to keep within reach.
Black's Law Dictionary · Bryan A. Garner (ed.)
The standard American legal dictionary. Use the print edition for study and the concise edition for the bag.
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation · Harvard Law Review Association
The citation system used in American legal writing and in many law reviews.
A Dictionary of Law · Oxford University Press
A compact dictionary that covers English and wider common-law terms clearly. Handy for students outside the United States.
Free and cheaper ways to practise
Books are only half of studying. For practice that costs nothing, try our free tools:
- Daily Quiz for a few minutes of legal questions every day.
- Legal dictionary for plain-language definitions.
- Legal document templates to see how real agreements are built.
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