In
United States legal education
Legal education in the United States generally refers to a graduate degree, the completion of which makes a graduate eligible to sit for an examination for a license to Practice of law, practice as a Lawyer. Around 60 percent of those who complete ...
, hornbooks are one-volume
legal treatise
A legal treatise is a scholarly legal publication containing all the law relating to a particular area, such as criminal law or trusts and estates. There is no fixed usage on what books qualify as a "legal treatise", with the term being used broadl ...
s, written primarily for law students on subjects typically covered by
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
courses.
Hornbooks summarize and explain the law in a specific area. They are distinct from
casebook
A casebook is a type of textbook used primarily by students in law schools.Wayne L. Anderson and Marilyn J. Headrick, The Legal Profession: Is it for you?' (Cincinnati: Thomson Executive Press, 1996), 83. Rather than simply laying out the legal do ...
s, which are collections of cases (or parts of cases) chosen to help illustrate and stimulate discussion about legal issues.
The term derives from the
hornbook
A hornbook (horn-book) is a single-sided alphabet tablet, which served from medieval times as a primer for study, and sometimes included vowel combinations, numerals or short verse. The hornbook was in common use in England around 1450, but may ...
, an early children's educational tool, implying that the material is basic.
A hornbook law is a basic, settled legal principle (see
black letter law
In common law legal systems, black letter laws are the well-established legal rules that are no longer subject to reasonable dispute. Some examples are the "black-letter law" that the formation of a contract requires consideration, or the "black- ...
).
See also
* ''
Black's Law Dictionary
''Black's Law Dictionary'' is the most frequently used legal dictionary in the United States. Henry Campbell Black (1860–1927) was the author of the first two editions of the dictionary.
History
The first edition was published in 1891 by West P ...
''
* ''
Bouvier's Law Dictionary
''Bouvier's Law Dictionary'' is a set consisting of two or three books with a long tradition in the United States legal community. The first edition was written by John Bouvier.
John Bouvier (1787–1851) was born in Codognan, France, but came to ...
''
*
Law dictionary
A law dictionary (also known as legal dictionary) is a dictionary that is designed and compiled to give information about terms used in the field of law.
Types
Distinctions are made among various types of law dictionaries.
Differentiating facto ...
*
Legal terminology textbook
A legal terminology textbook is a textbook that arranges and defines legal words and phrases in groups and by topic, in contrast with a law dictionary, which arranges and defines legal words and phrases individually and in alphabetical order. Thu ...
*
List of legal abbreviations
This is a list of abbreviations used in law and legal documents. It is common practice in legal documents to cite other publications by using standard abbreviations for the title of each source. Abbreviations may also be found for common words o ...
*
Wex
Wex is a collaboratively-edited legal dictionary and encyclopaedia, intended for broad use by "practically everyone, even law students and lawyers entering new areas of law".
It is sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute ("LII ...
References
{{reflist
External links
A list of hornbooks and study aids managed by the D'Angelo Law Library at the University of Chicago.
Law books
Legal education