British lawyer and renowned civil liberties abet Shami Chakrabarti once wrote that To Kill a Mockingbird inspired her to become a lawyer. While the love Harper Lee novel may exist the most well-known books centered effectually the courtroom, it's far from the only one of its kind. Read on for a roundup of half-dozen must-read books for constabulary students (that aren't To Kill a Mockingbird).

Bleak House

ane. Bleak Business firm past Charles Dickens

Regarded by many every bit Dickens' greatest novel and heralded as a masterpiece, Bleak House has as well been declared to exist "the most of import literary work virtually the constabulary."

Asserts the ABA Journal in awarding this archetype the third-identify spot in its ranking of the 25 best law novels, "In the forefront of this Dickens classic is the story of Esther Summerson, who lives at Bleak Firm oblivious to the fact that she is the illegitimate child of Lady Dedlock. At that place is a murder, of grade, and Lady Dedlock is suspected. But lawyers are not attracted to Bleak House for the whodunit. What they love is Dickens' ongoing business relationship of Jarndyce 5. Jarndyce, an manor case that drags from generation to generation until the money runs out. Dickens hits a nerve in his classic description of the underlying cynicism that too oftentimes drives litigation."

An interesting aside? Dickens based Jarndyce v. Jarndyce on his own legal experiences while taking on publishers who'd released unauthorized copies of A Christmas Carol.

The Firm

2. The House by John Grisham

Okay, and so it may non be high art, but when it comes to a truly thrilling read and escape from the occasional drudgery of law educatee life, you lot can't go wrong with this bestseller about ambitious rookie tax lawyer Mitch McDeere who happens upon a sinister secret while working at his Memphis constabulary firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke.

Says Publishers Weekly of this gripping tale, which spent 44 weeks on the NY Times bestseller lists "Grisham, a criminal defense attorney, lucidly describes law office procedures at the highest levels, smoothly meshing them with the criminal events of the narrative....Readers volition be totally hooked by this unusual and absorbing story."

1861

3.  1861: The Civil State of war Enkindling past Adam Goodheart

In choosing this historical account of how the Civil War began and the American revolution ensued every bit his pick for the ABA Journal's "xxx Lawyers, thirty Books," Washington, DC law partner Trevor Potter enthuses, "A corking book for this summer's reading listing. Written 150 years after the showtime of the Ceremonious War, 1861 is a fascinating, riveting description of the year the war started. Information technology reads similar a thriller, merely is total of bits of history and constitutional police that lawyers will love. Did you know both houses of Congress voted to meliorate the Constitution to enshrine the right to own slaves in the Constitution—and get in the ane amendment that could never exist amended? They did. All in an attempt to mollify the Southern states."

The Handmaid's Tale

4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Netflix series may be getting lots of fizz lately, but this doesn't alibi readers from earthworks into this cautionary -- and extremely relevant --  book by Canadian Atwood.

Contends The ABA Periodical in including this 1 among its 25 greatest law novels always, "Gear up in Gilead, a dystopian nation once known every bit the United States, Atwood'due south best-seller explores an overthrow of the Constitution in favor of a Christian theocracy that results in a wholesale reversal of women'due south rights. Women are forbidden to read or write or vote. And although the darkest fears presented by Atwood have proved unfounded by the decades since it was published—during the prime ascendancy of the Christian Right in national politics—the book's fundamental apprehensions could be practical to a more than global context."

Njal's Saga

5. Njál's Saga by Bearding

This book detailing a 50-year blood feud may date all the way back to the 13th century, but it absolutely holds up today.

Says the Oxford University Press web log, "[Njál's Saga] explores perennial human bug – from failed marriages to divided loyalties, from the law's inability to adjourn human passions to the terrible consequences when decent men and women are swept upwardly in a tide of violence beyond their command….In particular it explores the extent to which disputes can be settled by agreement, and examines the terrible things that happen when revenge becomes an overwhelming social force. Although a tale from some other time, it is not difficult to think of modern contexts in which revenge rather than the rule of law is dominant, and should encourage you to reflect on the dangerous consequences of a society in which a revenge culture becomes embedded."

Justice

half dozen. Justice: What'southward the Right Matter to Do? past Michael J Sandel

As a Harvard University professor, Michael J. Sandel is famous for packing students into the campus theater to hear him take on the some of the well-nigh challenging issues facing lawyers -- and society as a whole -- today.

According to Goodreads, "Justice offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates Harvard students. This book is a searching, lyrical exploration of the significant of justice, i that invites readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways. Affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, patriotism and dissent, the moral limits of markets—Sandel dramatizes the challenge of thinking through these conflicts, and shows how a surer grasp of philosophy tin can help united states make sense of politics, morality, and our own convictions as well."

The Rule of Law

seven. The Rule of Police by Tom Bingham

Heralded as "the greatest judge of our time," a "towering figure," and "rock of principle," Tom Bingham'due south achievements were many. Among them? This brief yet brilliant book on the historical context and modernistic-solar day significance of the phrase "the rule of law."

Proposes human rights police force professor and practicing lawyer Conor A. Gearty, "Written in a jaunty, broad-castor style, this book is an enjoyable circuit through the greatest hits of the mutual law in general and English language constabulary in particular. It reads like the transcript of a parlor game played past a specially precocious set up of undergraduates: what are the 12 best 'rule of law' kind of things to accept happened since 1200? What are the eight most important features of the rule of law today?"

While Bingham died a decade ago, his keen intellect and exceptional insights still serve as a seminal guide for anyone looking to empathize the paramount office laws play as a cornerstone of stable lodge.

These vii police force student-friendly books are just the start. Have a law-related book of your own to recommend? Please share your suggestions in the comments section below.