Lawyers' Latin: A Vade‐mecum (new ed.)

English is a mongrel language. It was built by successive waves of invasion, cultural as well as martial. Legal language, however, tends to flow sedately apart from this churning whirlpool. Usage changes slowly, so that once incorporated, terms persist. Norman French can still be heard on occasion in the UK Parliament. The picturesque “man on the Clapham Omnibus” is still invoked by judges and advocates in court. And Latin, the traditional language of legal discourse and wisdom that is largely untaught in today's schools, clings on in all sorts of guises.

Lawyers' Latin is a witty, engaging and clearly expressed...