Thinking Critically About Law

“The author’s call to cultivate an inquisitive mind provides a framework for students to think through success in law school. The author’s further call to think lovingly, creatively and self-reflectively about law provides a framework for success in and beyond law school.”

— Christopher Waters, Professor, Co-Editor of the Canadian Bar Review, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

“A great and fun introduction to legal thinking and to the value of thinking critically about law. The revised and updated edition of Thinking Critically about Law by Dr Amy Codling is thought-provoking and rich at a time when law and its position and functions in societies, domestically and globally, are being questioned and are often inadequately understood. What can be expected of law? What is law’s relation to political power and societal morals? What is the role of lawyers today? How should we approach law in our complex and diverse modern societies? Thinking critically may occasionally be perceived as a provocation. After all, Socrates whose famous method of persistent asking is invoked as an ideal in education, was executed by an Athenian court on charges of impiety and of corrupting the youth. Amy Codling prompts our reflection and our assessment about law’s role at all stages, from inception to enactment and practice. The book is accessible and user-friendly while retaining a high theoretical relevance. It offers a wealth of further reading suggestions, films and other resources. Thinking Critically about Law discusses many of the timely urgent questions that all students of law, and all decision-makers and citizens affected by law, i.e. all of us, will find fascinating and inspiring.”

— Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Business and Economics and Law, Åbo Akademi University, Finland.

“This is a thought-provoking and insightful book as well as a very useful one, and it promises to help law students in gaining important skills and adding value to their work across all of their modules of study.”

— Paul Almond, Professor, Director of Research, Leicester School of Law, England.

“Students have always found it challenging to understand what it means to think critically and independently about law. Dr. Codling’s book is a well-written, readable introduction that shows students how they can master this most important of skills, and why it will help them become better lawyers.”

— TT Arvind, Professor, Head of Department, York Law School, England.

“Dr Codling’s new edition of Thinking Critically About Law arrives at a time when the skills and techniques it teaches could not be more important. This book is a must-read for students beginning their legal studies, or those looking to improve both their performance and perspective at Law School. What really sets this work apart from other texts is its holistic approach to legal education — emphasising not only the bread-and-butter skills of assessments and contributing well in discussions, but also the reader’s role in the workplace, society and beyond. It’s a book that aims to make its readers better people, not just better lawyers.”

— Jed Meers, Dr, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Administrative Fairness Lab, York Law School, England.

Amy R Codling has over two decades of experience studying and teaching law at the Universities of Cardiff, Leeds, Reading and Sussex and is currently a lecturer at York Law School. She was proud to be the recipient of the University of York Student Union’s (YUSU) ‘Most Inspirational’ award in 2022.