What are the best books about lawyers?

Oftentimes, we put lawyers and judges over the pedestal closer to the gods. But have you ever wondered what it’s like to be one, what their day-to-day looks like, and how the courts work? The best sources for the answers to these questions are books.

If you’re looking for a good book, stray no further, as we’ll be discussing some of the best books about lawyers that your hands can grab on. We’ll briefly discuss both fiction and non-fiction, ranging from different stories and perspectives.

This article can be used by everyone in the legal profession, and even those who want to get into it. If we missed out your favourite book in the list below, let us know in the comment section!

Different kinds of best books about lawyers

People say that lawyers want to talk about themselves; and while there’s some truth to this, the most insightful ones do come in the form of published books. At the other end, when people talk about the lives of lawyers, the most inspiring stories are also told through the pages of books.

Either way, there have been a lot of books about lawyers that can offer different viewpoints to their readers. From the greatest resolve that lawyers have when facing the court to the lowest point of their careers, these books are great resources for the future and current members of the bar.

Here are some general classifications of the best books about lawyers for your consideration:

• non-fiction books, such as biographies and memoirs
• fictional books about lawyers
• historical books, including those of law firms
• books discussing landmark cases

Top non-fiction books about lawyers

Non-fictional books are a very broad category, covering some of the best reads about lawyers. It may refer to books that can help lawyers with their legal practice through stories from their colleagues, such as Take Charge the Skills that Drive Professional Success (2021) by Norman Bacal. There are also those which discusses the cases handled by lawyers themselves, as with the compilation of cases in the Tough Crimes: True Cases by Top Canadian Criminal Lawyers (2014). Non-fiction also includes books that reveal personal accounts and the lives of others (which are discussed later in this article).

Then, there are legal thrillers, such as the Osgoode Trilogy (2005-2007) by Mary E. Martin, which follows the story of lawyer Harry Jenkins in a three-part series. Each book (Conduct in Question, Final Paradox, and A Trial of One) finds Jenkins in different situations, where his legal skills and morals were always put to test.

Here’s a video which shows a mix of fiction and non-fiction books about lawyers from around the world:

For another list of the best books about lawyers, you can check out this article from the Canadian Lawyer Magazine, one of our sister publications, about books on how to be a lawyer.

Memoirs and biographies of Canadian legal figures

Biographies and memoirs of judges are a booming field these days. Bora Laskin: Bringing Law to Life by Philip Girard (2005) is a fascinating book about one of the most prominent figures of the 20th century Canadian bar. From his first careers until taking on the job as a Chief Justice, this biography explores Laskin’s life and how his works impacted the current state of Canadian law.

Some of the other best books about lawyers also include:

• Greenspan: The Case for the Defence (1987): this biography by Edward L. Greenspan gives out his own perspectives on the cases he personally handled, making it a good read for those who want to work in the field of criminal law, whether as a defence or in the prosecution’s side
• To Make a Difference: A Memoir (2001): Ian Scott’s memoir is enlivened by coverage of his political career, his sexual orientation, and his stroke, but Scott's ever the advocate, and there's quite a bit about his legal work
• Reminiscences of Charles Durand, Barrister (1897): a little further afield, this book is a crazy-quilt memoir by a long-lived and ever-hopeful Ontario lawyer of the 19th century; it also provides a quick glimpse into the early Canadian society
• Bad Medicine: A Judge's Struggle for Justice in a First Nations Community (2010): whether your views on the subject matter differ, this non-fiction book by Judge John Reilly’s own experience sparked controversy, as Reilly struggled in dealing with a First Nations community and the problems it faced at that time
• Just Lawyers: Seven Portraits (1995): author David Ricardo Williams highlights the legal careers of seven lawyers who, even with the opportunity of climbing to success, refused and remained “just lawyers” (namely: Eugene Lafleur, Gordon Henderson, Frank Covert, Aimé Geoffrion, W.N. Tilley, Isaac Pitblado, and J.W. deB. Farris)

Books on histories of Canadian law firms

It cannot get more exciting when we discover the humble beginnings of a now-renowned law firm through the best books about lawyers. From how the idea first popped up, getting their first client, to what they’ve become today. Reading stories from these founding partners and their experiences can shed light on the strength that one has to have when building up one's own legal career.

Christopher Moore’s McCarthy Tetrault: Building Canada's Premier Law Firm (2005) tells the story of Canada's first national law firm. So how did it become one the largest law firm today in Canada? This book dwells on this query, plus discussions on the firm’s legal professionalism and its leaders who brought it to where it is now.

This video recommends some of the best books for lawyers who are just starting their legal practice, and even for aspiring law students:

Here’s another article from Canadian Lawyer about books for aspiring law students to help future students learn more about the legal profession.

Women in the legal profession

Women and the law have been a growing subject over the years. Given the experience that women suffered because of the laws of the past, the unjust system eventually sparked a movement for suffrage, equality, and a whole lot more. Literary books about (women) lawyers and the law are peak stories about the struggles of gender within the legal profession.

On the legal status on women, there's nothing better than Constance Backhouse's Petticoats and Prejudice (1991). In the miscellaneous category, there's Elizabeth Bethune Campbell's Heiress vs. The Establishment (2004), an outsider's vivid look at Toronto law and lawyers back in the 1920s.

A story of a woman lawyer’s rise to the top is exemplified in Truth be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law (2019) by Beverley McLachlin herself. Here, the first female Chief Justice of Canada talks about her life before and when she started her legal career, until being appointed to the bench.

Books about the struggles of lawyers

We rarely read lawyers getting candid about their personal experiences. After all, lawyers are perceived as tough, cold people, who are (or must be) capable of handling difficult situations on a whim.

However, this recently published book about lawyers tells a different story. In The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession (2024), lawyers share memoirs about living with mental health and addiction issues. With this book, storytellers hope that these issues on mental health plaguing the profession are discussed openly and are professionally dealt with.

Fictional depictions of lawyers in literature

On a lighter note, the best books about lawyers can also be in the form of pure imagination — fictional stories. Of course, there’s our idolized Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil), whose crime-busting-slash-lawyering got us in our toes. But aside from comic strips, there are a lot more lawyers in hardbound books from whom we can surely learn a thing or two when it comes to upholding justice and fairness.

Starting from the classics, we cannot complete this list without Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), whose story of the lawyer Atticus Finch has inspired countless generations of lawyers.

Other classical best books about lawyers include:

• Bleak House (1852) by Charles Dickens
• The Trial (1925) by Franz Kafka
• Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) by J. M. Coetzee
• Heartstone: A Shardlake Novel (2011) by C.J. Sansom

Although not really books about lawyers, the following are some of the best classical fictions that discreetly talks about the law and society, and the interactions between the two:

• Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen
• The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood

Historical books on landmark cases in Canada

There are no better books about lawyers than those about the very cases they’ve handled in the past. We look especially to the landmark ones, which pivoted where our justice system was steered at different points in our history.

For instance, Brendan O'Brian’s Speedy Justice: The Tragic Last Voyage of His Majesty's Vessel Speedy (1992) explores the night in 1804 when the schooner Speedy took much of the Upper Canadian legal elite to the bottom of Lake Ontario.

Moving to modern times would be The Tenth Justice: Judicial Appointments, Marc Nadon, and the Supreme Court Act Reference (2020). Here, authors Carissima Mathen and Michael Plaxton discuss the legal spectacle behind the appointment, and eventually striking down as unconstitutional, of Justice Marc Nadon to the highest court in the country.

A more straightforward book on the landmark decisions of the Supreme Court would be Mighty Judgment: How The Supreme Court Of Canada Runs Your Life (2012) by Philip Slayton. Staying true to its title, Mighty Judgment shows how the judgments of the high court affect the daily lives of Canadians (e.g., abortion laws, same sex marriage, etc.).

Books offering insights into the Court and the Canadian law

If you have a taste for substantial scholarship, there are rich pickings, particularly because the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History has published so much. Its series Essays in the History of Canadian Law is now on its 13th volume and are thousands of pages thick. The latest volume includes essays about the historical relationship of women and the law.

Other notable scholarship courtesy of the Osgoode Society include:

• Paul Romney's Mr. Attorney (1986), which talks plenty on the intersection of politics and law at the office of attorney general
• John Saywell's history of constitutional law cases, The Lawmakers (2002), has a point of view very different from Romney's
• James Walker's "Race", Rights and the Law in the Supreme Court of Canada (1997), which is a powerhouse study of how racial attitudes have always determined laws

Edited by Trevor C. W. Farrow and Lesley A. Jacobs, The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law (2020) is a book that is not just your typical one about lawyers. It discusses both the best parts and the problems of the Canadian justice system, as scrutinized through everyone’s basic right of access to justice.

If you’re into family law and divorce, then Tug of War: A Judge's Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court (2009) might be for you. It was written by Justice Harvey Brownstone, arguably one of the more famous lawyers we now have. Tug of War is one-of-a-kind, as it was written by Brownstone when he was still a sitting judge, offering his views on family court litigations for the public.

Best books about lawyers: giving life to justice

These best books about lawyers do not only entertain us through the seriousness and fun of lawyering, but also provoke our thoughts about justice, ethics, and the legal system. They are also a chance to humanize the characters behind the block of texts we usually see: the lawyer, the judge, and the litigants. After all, our legal system is run by humans — not of gods — who are still made up of sweat, blood, and tears.

Do you have any personal suggestions for the best books about lawyers? Let us know in the comments below!