Want to know how wordy lawyers and judges really are? Check out Black's Law Dictionary for 1651 pages and 4500+ of the most commonly used legal terms!

Black's Law Dictionary is the definitive source of legal terminology in the U.S. It was first published in the late 1800s and is now in its 8th edition (pub. 2004). It is currently edited and updated by Bryan A. Garner, a guy with whom I wouldn't want to get into an argument over semantics.

Black's Law Dictionary is a useful tool for all those employed in the legal industry and a staple on the shelves of most firms. Like a regular dictionary, it provides key legal terms in bold letters, followed by their definition(s) and most times their most common usage (i.e.: the area of law in which they are applied). The newest 8th edition also works as a thesaurus for many terms by including alternative spellings or interchangeable terms.

Black's Law Dictionary serves a few useful functions in addition to definitions. The inside cover has a pronunciation guide to help with the defined terms, which is most helpful when many have a Latin origin. In the back there are several appendices, including the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Human Rights, and a map of the Federal Circuit Courts.

Also in the back is a table of legal abbreviations, which I find helpful to match up with definitions and to ensure that I've abbreviated correctly in legal documents. Abbreviations are another common occurrence in the legal world--an attempt to mask the wordiness. The most fun element of the dictionary is the Appendix of Legal Maxims. It contains many familiar Latin legal phrases that are still used today by judges and law professors in an attempt to assert superiority over the lowly newer lawyers and law students. Here, I can consult the table after coming home from class completely baffled by the way the prof seemed to be speaking a different language and find out what he or she was really saying.

Black's Law Dictionary is something every law student or lawyer will consult many times in their career. However, due to its availability on WestLaw, there is less of a need for this bulky $60 version. In addition, for students, there is also a pocket version with more of the familiar terms and that is much lighter and easier to carry around.

Recommended: Yes