Book Review: Understanding the Law
| Date | 01 December 2006 |
| Author | Damian Warburton |
| DOI | 10.1350/jcla.2006.70.6.550 |
| Published date | 01 December 2006 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
BOOK REVIEW
Geoffrey Rivlin, Understanding the Law, 4th revised edn
(Oxford University Press: 2006) ISBN: 9780199284689,
362 pp, £14.99 pbk
It is not often that a thorough overview of the English legal system is
presented in such a fashion as to be both useful to lawyers, non-lawyers
and would-be lawyers alike. Understanding the Law is just such an
exception to this premise.
A frequently overlooked reality is that post-qualification, and at some
unspecified time into a life of practice or academic niche, lawyers tend to
forget that a world of law exists outside of their own specialist area.
Staying abreast of the abundance of commentary on any of the main
disciplines can in itself seem to be an unremitting charge, and getting to
grips with the ever-increasing shadow cast over, for example, criminal
law by the European Convention on Human Rights may be regarded by
some to be the limit of off-topic appraisal.
Those who can identify with this concept will benefit from Rivlin’s
narrative on the history and workings of the legal system because they
will realise how much they have forgotten and they may also be
embarrassed to admit how much they did not even know to start off
with. For this author this includes that, post the House of Lords decision,
although Stevenson did owe a duty to anyone who drank his product,
an Edinburgh court actually held that no snail was ever factually present
in May Donoghue’s bottle of ginger beer and so, after all that, she still
lost her case! (See p. 323.)
Light-hearted details and occasional amusing cartoons may fill in the
gaps, but this work is very much a germane account of how the English
legal system has developed and is interconnected—a proper description
of which the traditional law degree usually overlooks. The book is
particularly suited to those who might feel otherwise overwhelmed by
the enormity of the subject, or who need a succinct account of the
important issues.
Chapters are devoted to the Constitution, Parliament, the courts, the
police, the judiciary and practitioners of both disciplines. Civil process is
examined but the theme of the book is very much centred on issues that
impact on criminal trials. Law students coming into the LLB, and who
can be persuaded that reading is still a core aspect of study, will give
themselves a real leg-up in comprehending the structure and purpose of
the legal profession if they give this book the time it deserves.
Four editions in six years are a testament to how neither the law itself,
nor the infrastructure and logistics that facilitate its operation, stand still.
New ground since the previous edition includes some of the practical
effects of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 on the application of the criminal
550
To continue reading
Request your trial