Letters to a Law Student: A guide to studying law at university

393 Pages·2017·6.695 MB·English

by  Nicholas J McBride

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A GUIDE TO
STUDYING LAW
AT UNIVERSITY
SSSTTTTUUUUDDDDEEEENNNNTT
FOURTH EDITON
NICHOLAS J. McBRIDE
Letters
to a
Law Student
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Letters
to a
Law Student
Fourth edition
Nicholas J. McBride
Jason N.E. Varuhas
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First published 2007 (print)
Second edition published 2010 (print)
Third edition published 2014 (print and electronic)
Fourth edition published 2018 (print and electronic)
© Pearson Education Limited 2007, 2010 (print)
© Pearson Education Limited 2014, 2018 (print and electronic)
The rights of Nicholas J. McBride and Jason N.E. Varuhas to be identified as authors of this work
have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in
a retrieval system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recording or otherwise, permission should be obtained from the publisher or, where
applicable, a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom should be obtained
from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1EN.
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ISBN: 978-1-292-14924-0 (print)
978-1-292-14925-7 (PDF)
978-1-292-14926-4 (ePub)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: McBride, Nicholas J., author. | Varuhas, Jason, author.
Title: Letters to a law student / Nicholas J. McBride ; with Jason N.E.
Varuhas.
Description: Fourth edition. | Harlow, England ; New York : Pearson Longman,
2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017030226 | ISBN 9781292149240 (Print) | ISBN 9781292149257
(PDF) | ISBN 9781292149264 (ePub)
Subjects: LCSH: Law students--England--Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Law--Study
and teaching--England.
Classification: LCC KD442 .M36 2017 | DDC 340.071/142--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017030226
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
22 21 20 19 18
Cover image background © Stock/Getty Images Plus/MLiberra/Getty Images
Print edition typeset in 10/13 Janson MT Pro by iEnergizer Aptara®, Ltd.
Printed and bound in Malaysia
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION
To the magical
Isabel, Ines, and Luca
I miss you very much, dear friends;
you are my joy and my crown
(Phil. 4:1)
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Table of contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xi
About the author xiii
Publisher’s acknowledgements xv
Letter 1 What is law? 1
Letter 2 Four reasons for studying law 15
Letter 3 The astonishing hypothesis 35
Letter 4 But is law the right subject for me? 45
Top 10 Myths about studying law 62
Letter 5 Choosing a university 67
Letter 6 The LNAT and other law tests 81
Letter 7 Tips for interview 87
Letter 8 How (and how not) to argue 95
Top 10 Fallacies and stupidities 102
Letter 9 General tips on studying law 109
Letter 10 Some hard truths 119
Letter 11 Avoiding problems 129
Letter 12 Coping with stress 135
Top 10 Films about law 139
Letter 13 Making the most of your time 143
Letter 14 Using a textbook 149
Letter 15 Reading cases 155
Letter 16 A brief history of law reporting 171
Top 10 Figures in English legal history 178
viii Letters to a Law Student
Letter 17 Making sense of statutes 187
Letter 18 How to get through an article 195
Letter 19 Using the internet 203
Letter 20 Getting the most out of where you are 205
Top 10 Controversies in English law 214
Letter 21 Your fellow students 221
Letter 22 On free speech 223
Letter 23 How to write an essay 229
Letter 24 Writing a dissertation 251
Top 10 Metaphors, allusions, and phrases 272
Letter 25 How to write a problem answer 281
Letter 26 Tips on revising 297
Letter 27 Last advice before the exams 307
Letter 28 Moving on 313
Top 10 Final words of advice 319
Appendix A. A Mini-Dictionary of English Law 325
Appendix B. Century Insurance v Northern Ireland
Road Transport Board [1942] A.C. 509 347
End notes 361
Index 371
Preface
This book has been written for anyone who is doing, or thinking about doing,
a law degree at university. The book comprises a series of letters to an imag-
inary law student, Jamie. The first letter is sent to Jamie while Jamie is still at
school and thinking about doing a law degree at university. The final letter
gives Jamie advice about preparing for life after university, having done a law
degree. The 26 letters in between track Jamie’s progress from school to
university, giving advice to Jamie on various issues such as how to study law,
how to write legal essays, and how to revise for exams. Inspired by the bril-
liant Top 10 Show hosted by John Rocha and Matt Knost on the SK Plus
YouTube channel and Podcast, I have inserted into this edition of Letters to a
Law Student a number of Top 10 lists, which provide a fun and efficient way of
giving law students a lot of useful information that they will find helpful in
their studies, and deliberations as to whether to study law or not.
Jamie does not exist, and no one who is thinking about studying law or is
studying law will share all of the concerns that prompt the letters to Jamie set
out in this book. Some letters will be of more relevance to you than others:
(1) If you are considering studying law at university then you should read
letters 1–4, 8, and 23, and the Top 10 Myths About Studying Law to get
a feel for what law is about and what sort of skills studying law will
require you to have and develop. Letters 9 and 13–15 will give you more
of a sense of what studying law is like.
(2) If you have made up your mind to study law at university, and are in the
process of making applications to study law, then letters 1–4 and 8 would
still be useful as reinforcing and deepening your choice to study law, and
letters 5–7 will be highly relevant to you. If you are applying to a univer-
sity that requires you to have an interview as part of the application
process, you should also read letter 8, the Top 10 Fallacies and Stupidi-
ties, and letters 22–23.
(3) If you have been accepted to study law at university, then you should still
read letters 1–2, 4, and 8 to help you get ready for the experience of stud-
ying law. You should also read: letters 9–23 and 25 (as well as all but the