Oxford Reference Online service provides full text access to a range of reference titles including A Dictionary of Law, A Dictionary of Law Enforcement, A Guide to Latin in International Law and The New Oxford Companion to Law.

The Squire Law Library has several print dictionaries available which provide clear definitions and, in some cases more detailed descriptions, of legal terms. These are kept in the Reference Collection, near the Enquiry Desk and include:

• Oxford Dictionary of Law (classmark CR.22.J.36) Also available on Oxford Reference Online (see box on the left)
• Osborn’s Concise Law Dictionary (classmark CR.22.J.8)
• Stroud’s Judicial Dictionary of Words and Phrases (kept at the beginning of the first floor Reference Collection) – which provides more detailed judicial definitions of words and phrases established in decided cases or statutes. Also incorporated into the Westlaw package (see box on left)
• Law Basics Glossary of Legal Terms (classmark CR.22.JE.2) which provides legal definitions in relation to Scots Law.

You can find several introductory texts to the common law system via iDiscover. These include:

• Learning Legal Rules by James Holland and Julian Webb (Classmark J.e.9.H.2)

• Learning the Law by Glanville Williams (Classmark J.f.9.W.3)

There is no set style for academic legal writing. However, you can find a range of books available providing guidance on writing for law and the use of legal language in your own work. These include:

• Successful Legal Writing by Edwina Higgins & Laura Tatham (Classmark) J.e.9.H.6)
• Writing for Law by Dave Powell and Emma Teare (Classmark CR.22.J.88)

For help with referencing material consult the separate referencing tab above.

Halsbury's Laws of England covers the whole spectrum of English Law, and can be browsed by topic or searched. This can be a useful starting point if you are doing research on a particular area of law. It’s available online via Lexis. Alternatively, the print volumes are held in the Squire Law Library on the first floor in bookstack 5.