Being aware of current legal issues is important, not least because it helps prospective Law students to begin to think about relevant matters, and to start seeing the world from a legal perspective. There are several suggestions elsewhere on this blog about how you can stay up to date and find ways into Law-related issues and debates. But it is also useful to read more widely: to get a sense of what it is like to be a Law student, and to get a sense of the type of subjects you will end up studying if you do a Law degree. Two books (I think) form a particularly good starting-point. (Full disclosure: both books are by colleagues of mine in the Cambridge Law Faculty, and I wrote a chapter in one of the books.)
Books
Letters to a Law Student addresses a range of issues about applying to study Law – and actually studying Law – at University. It is likely to be helpful if you are not yet sure whether Law is the right subject for you; if you want to know what being a Law student is like; or if you are starting out as a Law student and need help with getting to the study of Law. The focus is not on any particular of Law as a subject – but it gives a great insight into the sort of things that Law students do, the types of skills that they require (or are required to develop), and, in general terms, what a Law degree course involves. More information about Letters to a Law Student can be found here.
What About Law? focuses on the seven “foundation subjects” – that is, the seven subjects that Law students have to cover so that their degree counts towards their professional qualification as a barrister or solicitor. Each chapter therefore focuses on one of those subjects – constitutional law, criminal law, tort, contract, land law, equity and trusts and EU law. In particular, each chapter examines the relevant subject by looking in detail at a key case, using the case as a launching pad for an exploration of issues and concepts that are core to the area of law concerned. The book is addressed to those who have never studied Law before, but gives a taste of the sort of ideas and arguments with which Law students engage. For more information, see the publisher’s website.
Online
The books mentioned above are worth starting with because they are specifically written for people who are thinking about studying, or who are just starting to study, Law. There is, of course, a wealth of other literature available. But for a good, general source of information about Law-related current events, the Law section of the Guardian newspaper’s website is an excellent starting point; Joshua Rozenberg’s posts are particularly worth reading.
It is also well worth keeping up to date with a selection of law-related blogs (see my Blogroll on the right-hand side of this page for some suggestions). Some of the posts on this blog are aimed at public lawyers and current Law students; but some are aimed at a more general audience. A selection of posts falling into that category is highlighted on the For aspiring Law students page.
Following legal academics (like me), practitioners, courts and other legal institutions on Twitter is also a great way of keeping up to date with what is going on, getting suggestions for further reading, and testing your own interest in law-related matters. Following some of the people I’m following on Twitter (you can see who they are by looking at my Twitter profile page) might be a useful starting-point. You might also find this post useful, in which I suggest who new Law students should follow on Twitter and which blogs they should read. Universities are also increasingly putting resources online. The Cambridge Law Faculty, for instance, publishes a wide range of videos – of lectures, seminars and so on – via the Lectures at Law section of its website. You should also take a look at the Law section of the University of Cambridge’s HE+ website, which is aimed specifically at those who are thinking about studying Law at degree level and who want to find out more about the subject.
Public Law for Everyone 