Product Description

In this handbook, VerSteeg - a former Latin teacher and now a law professor - provides translations, discussions, and explanations of Latin legal terminology that law students and lawyers are most likely to use. He then explains the use of the Latin terminology with respect to its broader legal context. Unlike other reference books, this book is arranged by subject areas in law, such as constitutional law, contracts, property, torts, general terms, etc. The book also contains a glossary of approximately 290 Latin terms that occur frequently in legal writing, an appendix, and a guide to classical Latin pronunciation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113363 in Books
• Published on: 1990-12-01
• Released on: 1990-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 180 pages

Review
"The author explains the use of Latin terminology through excellent case and historical references. This delightful book should be required reading for all students." --Bimonthly Review of Law Books

Language Notes
Text: English, Latin

About the Author
Russ VerSteeg is a professor of law at the New England School of Law and a former teacher of classics.

Customer Reviews

Useful for Latin Students and those interested in Law
VerSteeg's Essential Latin for Lawyers is different from other legal dictionaries of Latin expressions. He presents the phrases in groups according to the area of law that you might encounter them (Contracts, Torts, Property) and then provides enough 'case' history or scenarios so that the phrase is illustrated by anecdote and is easy to remember. Teachers can use these with their students because the phrases and their examples are short. In addition to the narrative style of presentation, there is also a more 'standard' index of terms and their translations. The tone is conversational and at times witty. There is a down-to-earth style that is refreshing. The bi-monthly review of law books said it was 'delightful' and 'should be required reading for all first year law students."

Great help for first semester
This book is a great buy; it has been really helpful thus far. Black's dictionary lacks a lot of very important Latin terms that I need to understand to get the full benefit of the casebooks. "Essential Latin" has a basic dictionary-style format at the back of the book, and short summaries of the most important terms divided by subject, (crim law, torts), in the front. It could be more comprehensive, but contains about 85% of the information I've needed.