Landmarks in the Law

When you begin reading this book, it is important to bear in mind that Lord Denning was a senior judge, and therefore is not likely to write in the same way that you or I would. Think of musty rooms in an Oxbridge college, a decanter of brandy, and an open fire, and you'll be some way towards the mind-set needed to appreciate this book.That said, it is more approachable than many other judges would have been able to make it, and commentators often ascribe this to Denning's quirky sense of humour.The book itself is primarily made up of descriptions of the cases that have had such impact on the common law in use in the UK and abroad, that they have become the landmarks of the title. When I say descriptions, I don't mean dry court reports, but rather commentaries setting-out the backgrounds and facts of the cases, and the effects they've had on the law.I'm a (mature) law student myself, so have an interest in such matters - how wide an audience such a book has is difficult to say, but I suspect that if you enjoy legal theory and history you won't go far wrong with this book.

I liked it. i only paid a few pound for my copy, including delivery. Good read!I'm not intellectual and I find books boring, so if do consider that I read this easily, then it must be worth a purchase.

This should be on the school curriculum - it is so informative

excellent

Very pleased

Here Lord Denning gives an outline and explanation of, in his opinion, some of the most important cases in English Law. It is a useful perspective for a law student, and the cases are written up in such a way as to be accessible to almost anyone, even those without any legal education whatsoever.I loved Lord Denning's books as a young law student. It felt like I was in some way "cheating" by reading them. Lord Denning has such a marvellous facility with language, he is able to explain the most difficult legal concepts and arcane terminology with absolute ease.This prior knowledge then put me at a massive advantage when debating with those who had not read them! His writing is famously idiosyncratic; he writes in very short sentences. No extra fat. Like this. It makes for quick reading. And quick understanding. He is an absolute gift for a student. But beware: there is an ambitious politician lurking behind those beady legal eyes. And, on more than one occasion, he could make decisions and hold opinions which appear egregious against his generally Classical Liberal ideology, to put it mildly. To put it bluntly, he sometimes acted like a creature of the Establishment. The Christine Keeler Affair and his ideas regarding miscarriages of justice, and the Police, spring to mind. (he once said that any letter he got from any prisoner claiming to be the victim of a miscarriage of justice "went straight in the bin.")However, that he was a stellar student and would have made a great academic lawyer is beyond question: he obtained a First in Mathematics from Oxford, returning to get a First in Law after only 9 months - an unprecedented feat. Herbert Warren, the Master of Magdalen, wrote to him after his success (where he was just one paper short - Jurisprudence - of a Congratulatory First): "You are a marked man, Tom Denning. Some day you will be Lord of Appeal." Interestingly, however, he failed the All Souls exam.Together with Lord Atkin, he was the greatest judge of the 20th C.If you are a law student at University, or are thinking of reading Law at University, you should already have read this book! In fact, you should by now have read all of his books! There really is no time to lose! You will be glad you did!If you just have a general curiosity regarding the law in this country, read this book. And again, read all of them. They are simply fantastic!

Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls for over twenty years and a Law Lord for a few years before that, was perhaps the greatest judge of the 20th century. To some, he set the law free from excessive rigidity, taking it back towards the eighteenth century and reinventing it as a flexible system of justice and conscience. To others, he came to destroy the common law, and set bad precedents. Either way, he was a dominant figure who played some role in many of the most important cases of the century.Lord Denning's prose is famously idiosyncratic. The sentences are short. Often without verbs. It is infectious. Hemingway's sentences are baroque by comparison. This means that he achieves great clarity; but once in a while a change of tempo would be restful; a longer sentence that meanders slowly - with Gibbonesque intermediate or subordinate clauses and phrases - towards a peaceful close, and then, just when you think it is over, carries on, the end only eventually, after many commas, being reached, would provide a useful pause.This is not a casebook. The author assumes no legal knowledge on the part of the reader. He is more interested in discussing the context of the cases, and their consequences. Almost all of them have political aspects; most in some way concern the rights of the state against the citizen. The books covers treason, torture, bribery, the development of equity, martyrdom, freedom of assembly, divorce, slavery and internment, terrorism, freedom from arrest without law, freedom of the press, religious persecution, and murder.To me, two of the most interesting discussions are the defences of the majority judgments in Liversidge v Anderson (detention without trial) and in DPP v Smith (intention to kill). I have only seen either judgment roundly condemned, and I hadn't realised they could be defended. The first case is once again relevant, in the context of current UK anti-terrorist policy. (I was not persuaded by his defence.) Other interesting discussions include the Profumo Inquiry (which Lord Denning conducted); a passionate plea for tolerance between Jews and Christians; and a discussion of the limits of diplomatic immunity, in which he cannot seem to make up his mind.The informal, narrative approach, combined with the clarity of his prose, make the book is an easy read. It is suitable for people with an amateur interest in the law, and for schoolchildren and students who might be thinking of studying it. And it's of interest to lawyers.