Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent, and timesaving in academic emergencies, 08 Sep 2007
This book is brilliant, with well-written introductions to various aspects of constitutional law complemented by excerpts from key theorists and cases, which help illuminate the controversy over public law principles.

Excellent , 06 Oct 2006
This book contains a wide range of source materials and informed commentary which illuminates the political and constitutional process.

The author applies a contextual approach which is invaluable in allowing you to see the bigger picture. This would compliment standard textbooks, because it provides a stimulating perspective on the way we are governed.

I have read this book again and again and you always learn something new.

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent, and timesaving in academic emergencies, 08 Sep 2007
This book is brilliant, with well-written introductions to various aspects of constitutional law complemented by excerpts from key theorists and cases, which help illuminate the controversy over public law principles.

Excellent , 06 Oct 2006
This book contains a wide range of source materials and informed commentary which illuminates the political and constitutional process.

The author applies a contextual approach which is invaluable in allowing you to see the bigger picture. This would compliment standard textbooks, because it provides a stimulating perspective on the way we are governed.

I have read this book again and again and you always learn something new.

THE BEST, 19 Nov 2007
I am a law student and find the Legal System one of the hardest modules on my course. This book is BRILLIANT! I have tried loads of books on this subject and this is the easiest to read. Would highly recommend!

A fine introduction, 06 Oct 2007
Compared to a lot of other books you will first get this one is a breeze to read and guides you through the basics in no time. I got this on my first OU law course and found it really helped enhance and complement the course text.

I'd recommend this one over Harris any day!


Slapper and Kelly: Waste of Time, 23 Dec 2006
The Study of the English Legal system is a challenge, especially when you don't live within its jurisdiction. This book does NOT make the task easier. Not only do i have 2 copies of it (as the first one contained a significant printing mistake and they sent me a second copy), they both just sit in my bookshelf "looking pretty".
It is lengthy and does not get to the core areas of the topic that you need.I barely touched in in my first year and it was by far the most useLESS in helping me pass ELS.

A highly enjoyable yet practical guide to English Law., 10 Jan 2001
This book is ideal for students of law. With its in depth analysis of the English legal structure together with high readability it is an easy to understand and helpful book for lawyers and non lawyers alike. A worthwhile buy for those who wish to understand the English legal system that little bit better.

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent, and timesaving in academic emergencies, 08 Sep 2007
This book is brilliant, with well-written introductions to various aspects of constitutional law complemented by excerpts from key theorists and cases, which help illuminate the controversy over public law principles.

Excellent , 06 Oct 2006
This book contains a wide range of source materials and informed commentary which illuminates the political and constitutional process.

The author applies a contextual approach which is invaluable in allowing you to see the bigger picture. This would compliment standard textbooks, because it provides a stimulating perspective on the way we are governed.

I have read this book again and again and you always learn something new.

THE BEST, 19 Nov 2007
I am a law student and find the Legal System one of the hardest modules on my course. This book is BRILLIANT! I have tried loads of books on this subject and this is the easiest to read. Would highly recommend!

A fine introduction, 06 Oct 2007
Compared to a lot of other books you will first get this one is a breeze to read and guides you through the basics in no time. I got this on my first OU law course and found it really helped enhance and complement the course text.

I'd recommend this one over Harris any day!


Slapper and Kelly: Waste of Time, 23 Dec 2006
The Study of the English Legal system is a challenge, especially when you don't live within its jurisdiction. This book does NOT make the task easier. Not only do i have 2 copies of it (as the first one contained a significant printing mistake and they sent me a second copy), they both just sit in my bookshelf "looking pretty".
It is lengthy and does not get to the core areas of the topic that you need.I barely touched in in my first year and it was by far the most useLESS in helping me pass ELS.

A highly enjoyable yet practical guide to English Law., 10 Jan 2001
This book is ideal for students of law. With its in depth analysis of the English legal structure together with high readability it is an easy to understand and helpful book for lawyers and non lawyers alike. A worthwhile buy for those who wish to understand the English legal system that little bit better.

Business Law - Didnt think it could be simplified and easy, 10 Feb 2004
when i picked this book up i thought that it was too high a price to pay for a book on an area for which other books cost a fraction of the price. upon inspection i found this book to be very easy and concise to read it is all perfectly laid out so that reference to it is neat.

Well worth price paid. if you want to buy it for cheaper check out the internetunder the 'books' tab its £price cheap huh!

Quality legal info simply put- Even an idiot like me can get, 22 Sep 2000
Easy to understand info put in clear terms. I am v. pleased with this book

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent, and timesaving in academic emergencies, 08 Sep 2007
This book is brilliant, with well-written introductions to various aspects of constitutional law complemented by excerpts from key theorists and cases, which help illuminate the controversy over public law principles.

Excellent , 06 Oct 2006
This book contains a wide range of source materials and informed commentary which illuminates the political and constitutional process.

The author applies a contextual approach which is invaluable in allowing you to see the bigger picture. This would compliment standard textbooks, because it provides a stimulating perspective on the way we are governed.

I have read this book again and again and you always learn something new.

THE BEST, 19 Nov 2007
I am a law student and find the Legal System one of the hardest modules on my course. This book is BRILLIANT! I have tried loads of books on this subject and this is the easiest to read. Would highly recommend!

A fine introduction, 06 Oct 2007
Compared to a lot of other books you will first get this one is a breeze to read and guides you through the basics in no time. I got this on my first OU law course and found it really helped enhance and complement the course text.

I'd recommend this one over Harris any day!


Slapper and Kelly: Waste of Time, 23 Dec 2006
The Study of the English Legal system is a challenge, especially when you don't live within its jurisdiction. This book does NOT make the task easier. Not only do i have 2 copies of it (as the first one contained a significant printing mistake and they sent me a second copy), they both just sit in my bookshelf "looking pretty".
It is lengthy and does not get to the core areas of the topic that you need.I barely touched in in my first year and it was by far the most useLESS in helping me pass ELS.

A highly enjoyable yet practical guide to English Law., 10 Jan 2001
This book is ideal for students of law. With its in depth analysis of the English legal structure together with high readability it is an easy to understand and helpful book for lawyers and non lawyers alike. A worthwhile buy for those who wish to understand the English legal system that little bit better.

Business Law - Didnt think it could be simplified and easy, 10 Feb 2004
when i picked this book up i thought that it was too high a price to pay for a book on an area for which other books cost a fraction of the price. upon inspection i found this book to be very easy and concise to read it is all perfectly laid out so that reference to it is neat.

Well worth price paid. if you want to buy it for cheaper check out the internetunder the 'books' tab its £price cheap huh!

Quality legal info simply put- Even an idiot like me can get, 22 Sep 2000
Easy to understand info put in clear terms. I am v. pleased with this book

Incoherent at times, 18 Nov 2008
This books is very informative but the style isn't the least bit engaging. It jumps around from case to case plucking points seemingly at random, and the authors belabour certain points to death. The way it separates information into chapters, sections and subsections does not seem logical in the least bit and is at complete odds with the way my lecture notes is laid out.

To be fair to the authors, EC law is a load of BS in general given that none of the ECJ's cases are binding precedents. This was confirmed when I cross-referenced cases from lectures, cases from another text and cases in this book. There was a stunning lack of overlap between the sources, and authors could pick from any number of sources to illustrate a point or principle.

But overall, not a student-friendly read.

ideal for EU lawyer transfer exams in UK, 18 Sep 2008
This comprehensive book gives you ALL you need to know about the history, system, institutions, freedoms, competition regulation etc of the EU. I used it as the base for my EU solicitor transfer exam and I didn't require any other textbook. If you only want to get an overview, this book is probably too much as it is very detailed.

Only because I had to buy it, 10 Dec 2006
This book is just VERY confusing. It spouts case after case without any real explanation. I've found it takes away from what I learn in my lectures (which I have actually enjoyed a lot!). Out of all my textbooks/casebooks for this year (contract, public and criminal law being the others) I have found this to be the most useless of all and hardest to read without falling asleep. The fact that I'm here two weeks before my EU law exam desperately searching for a revision guide to save me from failing isn't a great sign. But to be fair EU law can be hard to put down into words and, saying that, it has provided me with *some* information I suppose, so I've given it three out of five. It could just be a LOT clearer, if there wasn't so much waffle and pointless writing!

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent, and timesaving in academic emergencies, 08 Sep 2007
This book is brilliant, with well-written introductions to various aspects of constitutional law complemented by excerpts from key theorists and cases, which help illuminate the controversy over public law principles.

Excellent , 06 Oct 2006
This book contains a wide range of source materials and informed commentary which illuminates the political and constitutional process.

The author applies a contextual approach which is invaluable in allowing you to see the bigger picture. This would compliment standard textbooks, because it provides a stimulating perspective on the way we are governed.

I have read this book again and again and you always learn something new.

THE BEST, 19 Nov 2007
I am a law student and find the Legal System one of the hardest modules on my course. This book is BRILLIANT! I have tried loads of books on this subject and this is the easiest to read. Would highly recommend!

A fine introduction, 06 Oct 2007
Compared to a lot of other books you will first get this one is a breeze to read and guides you through the basics in no time. I got this on my first OU law course and found it really helped enhance and complement the course text.

I'd recommend this one over Harris any day!


Slapper and Kelly: Waste of Time, 23 Dec 2006
The Study of the English Legal system is a challenge, especially when you don't live within its jurisdiction. This book does NOT make the task easier. Not only do i have 2 copies of it (as the first one contained a significant printing mistake and they sent me a second copy), they both just sit in my bookshelf "looking pretty".
It is lengthy and does not get to the core areas of the topic that you need.I barely touched in in my first year and it was by far the most useLESS in helping me pass ELS.

A highly enjoyable yet practical guide to English Law., 10 Jan 2001
This book is ideal for students of law. With its in depth analysis of the English legal structure together with high readability it is an easy to understand and helpful book for lawyers and non lawyers alike. A worthwhile buy for those who wish to understand the English legal system that little bit better.

Business Law - Didnt think it could be simplified and easy, 10 Feb 2004
when i picked this book up i thought that it was too high a price to pay for a book on an area for which other books cost a fraction of the price. upon inspection i found this book to be very easy and concise to read it is all perfectly laid out so that reference to it is neat.

Well worth price paid. if you want to buy it for cheaper check out the internetunder the 'books' tab its £price cheap huh!

Quality legal info simply put- Even an idiot like me can get, 22 Sep 2000
Easy to understand info put in clear terms. I am v. pleased with this book

Incoherent at times, 18 Nov 2008
This books is very informative but the style isn't the least bit engaging. It jumps around from case to case plucking points seemingly at random, and the authors belabour certain points to death. The way it separates information into chapters, sections and subsections does not seem logical in the least bit and is at complete odds with the way my lecture notes is laid out.

To be fair to the authors, EC law is a load of BS in general given that none of the ECJ's cases are binding precedents. This was confirmed when I cross-referenced cases from lectures, cases from another text and cases in this book. There was a stunning lack of overlap between the sources, and authors could pick from any number of sources to illustrate a point or principle.

But overall, not a student-friendly read.

ideal for EU lawyer transfer exams in UK, 18 Sep 2008
This comprehensive book gives you ALL you need to know about the history, system, institutions, freedoms, competition regulation etc of the EU. I used it as the base for my EU solicitor transfer exam and I didn't require any other textbook. If you only want to get an overview, this book is probably too much as it is very detailed.

Only because I had to buy it, 10 Dec 2006
This book is just VERY confusing. It spouts case after case without any real explanation. I've found it takes away from what I learn in my lectures (which I have actually enjoyed a lot!). Out of all my textbooks/casebooks for this year (contract, public and criminal law being the others) I have found this to be the most useless of all and hardest to read without falling asleep. The fact that I'm here two weeks before my EU law exam desperately searching for a revision guide to save me from failing isn't a great sign. But to be fair EU law can be hard to put down into words and, saying that, it has provided me with *some* information I suppose, so I've given it three out of five. It could just be a LOT clearer, if there wasn't so much waffle and pointless writing!

A Must for Student Nurses!, 29 Apr 2005
I've lost count the times I have used this book for assignments - very useful covering every subject imaginable

mine is well used, 19 Jul 2002
This book is a very good book for any student nurse at any level. I have been able to use this text book quite alot and have found it very easy to understand. The price has meant some of my friends have not bought it. However when time comes for assignments we all know that the libraries never have enough copies

Excellent Book!, 19 Oct 2007
I'm now in my second year of an undergraduate course and my lecturers had recommended two main books - this one and another EU Law textbook by Jo.Steiner. I first bought the EU book by Jo.Steiner but realised that it had no caselaw (or insufficient at least) and decided to get this book by Burca. I have to say that you can rely on this book alone for the full course, it is very informative and has some interesting small debates on contentious issues. Quite rightly, it can be described as the 'Bible' of EU Law. Despite it being very thick with lots of information, it is very easy to read and comprehend.

In summary, get this book before any others! You would not need to buy any others, but remember always use other books as well for essays!

Why is it so long winded?, 08 Oct 2007
This book is massively over-detailed. Even my lecturer who suggested this book as recommended reading says on her handout 'It has far more detail than you will need on this course but there are nuggets of crucial information amongst all the detail'. Is there really? Well why can't people who are supposed to be such experts in their field that they write what is described as the leading textbooks get to the point a bit more quickly or better still make it clear which bits of their lengthy boredom-fest are the important bits that students need to know. I bought this, read the first reading from it that I had to read for a seminar and sent it back so that I could get a refund. There are tons of good, clear and to the point EU law textbooks out there that are for sale at a fraction of the price of this rambling mammoth so be sure to shop around for a book that is actualy useful (cuts through the chaff for you) rather than making things even more muddled.

Best EU Law book around, 18 Sep 2007
As a law student I've had to shell out loads of money for books that stay on the shelf and barely get opened... after five years of law school I can say without a shadow of a doubt Craig and De Burca was the book I got the most value for money out of. Absolutely, 100% recommended for any law student who will be taking a number of EU courses, or EU Law related degree. If only all other law books were as easy to read as this one!

Claptrap, 19 Jul 2007
This book is totally woeful - it completely misdescribes the crucial principle of indirect effect and is breathtakingly incompetent when discussing the Von Colson principle.

I urge all self-respecting students of the law to steer well clear of this depressing read, it will seriously challenge your will to live.

EU Law textbook review, 27 Jun 2006
Suddenly EU law becomes clear! If, like me, you have struggled to master the various areas and concepts of EU law then this book is for you. Easy to use, easy to read and easy to cross reference to other text books. Well worth the money!

I'm on the CPE course at the mo and..., 25 Sep 2008
... I've been given a take home test that if I don't pass I will be off the course. I bought a series of books in the summer leading up to the start of the course, highly rated ones I'll have you know. All those books are completely useless. But not this one! (Actually that's a bit harsh on the other books, they're good for contextualising my learning.) Anyway, back to the point; if this book was a pint it would be a John Smiths i.e NO NONSENSE.

Anything you want to know it tells you, and it doesn't faff about like the other books. If you want to do well on the CPE you cannot depend on the law express series, nevertheless it's style goes straight for the jugular of law, so you're not sitting there trying to cut the wheat from the chaff for hours. It's like the mate who tells you how it is, and everyone needs a mate like that. If you don't have a mate like that then you need to get one. Failing that, get this book. Even if you don't do law. There... I've said what I have to say.

Oh look, here come the nurses. Back to the straitjacket I go... it was nice while it lasted.

A good Introduction, 22 Mar 2008
This is a good book, but does not cover enough depth. Its a good introduction to each topic area and gives you some good details, however it does sometimes seem to go off-track and does not have a continuous flow. For example you can be reading something and suddenly refers to something else.

However this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone interested in law or wants it a revision book but if you're wanting more depth or for your studies this is not the right book.

Surprisingly useful, 25 Dec 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.. Recommended texts are so often dull and unhelpful, or don't match your syllabus...But this one was great. It was clear, and each part linked nicely with the next. It wasn't concise, but then law books do not tend to be! A good basis for learning in detail about the English Legal System.

Its not just for revision, 08 Oct 2007
Don't tell anyone but... I bought this instead of the set textbook.

Let's be honest. How many of you actually read all the boring bumph in English Legal Systems textbooks? It has to be the driest subject in the world and it is written about and taught by people who cannot be bothered to make it interesting. I tried to read the first chapter of the dire Legal Systems book that we'd been told to read and I just thought life is too short for this. So I took the book back to the bookshop and got my refund and bought this little lifesaver instead and had money left over to buy other stuff.

It is cheap, to the point and reasonably interesting. I managed every tutorial on this book and my exam and I did fine. There was never anything that I needed to know that wasn't in here - in fact, I came up with a couple of points in one tutorial that nobody else had from reading the set text. I used it for my coursework too and got a decent mark. There are clues on how to do coursework and exams in here that you don't get in the other books and pointers to things to read that will help you with the content if you need more detail. There is a website that goes with the book too that has tests on so you know how much you know or don't know.

So buy this English Legal System Express book. It is a fraction of the price and a fraction of the boredom of the other books and it tells you everything you need to know.

Couldn't really get on with it., 08 Oct 2007
Of all my subjects English Legal Systems is the one that is a bit of a struggle. Not because it is difficult but because it just seems to dull. My lecturer seems bored herself which doesn't help and neither did recommending this dire book to us. It definitely falls into the category of one of these set texts that you buy because you are told to, try to read once or twice and then abandon to sit in pristine condition on your bookshelf ready to sell at the second hand book sale as 'no markings or highlighting but a really useful book' in the hope that some poor unsuspecting first year will buy it and at least give you some money back. I don't think that Legal Systems need to be complicated and detailed. It needs to be clear and what it really needs is to be linked with other subjects. Has anyone every mentioned precedent to you in any subject other than Legal Systems? My advice would either to buy a heavyweight book like the book by T. Ingram or to buy one of the short snappy ones that give you all that you need in one bitesize and relatively painfree chunck like the Law Express one. But whatever you do buy, give this one a miss. I think that all students should read the at least one chapter of any book before they buy it so that they can weed out the dross rather than unquestioningly buying stuff off the reading list.

Excellent, and timesaving in academic emergencies, 08 Sep 2007
This book is brilliant, with well-written introductions to various aspects of constitutional law complemented by excerpts from key theorists and cases, which help illuminate the controversy over public law principles.

Excellent , 06 Oct 2006
This book contains a wide range of source materials and informed commentary which illuminates the political and constitutional process.

The author applies a contextual approach which is invaluable in allowing you to see the bigger picture. This would compliment standard textbooks, because it provides a stimulating perspective on the way we are governed.

I have read this book again and again and you always learn something new.

THE BEST, 19 Nov 2007
I am a law student and find the Legal System one of the hardest modules on my course. This book is BRILLIANT! I have tried loads of books on this subject and this is the easiest to read. Would highly recommend!

A fine introduction, 06 Oct 2007
Compared to a lot of other books you will first get this one is a breeze to read and guides you through the basics in no time. I got this on my first OU law course and found it really helped enhance and complement the course text.

I'd recommend this one over Harris any day!


Slapper and Kelly: Waste of Time, 23 Dec 2006
The Study of the English Legal system is a challenge, especially when you don't live within its jurisdiction. This book does NOT make the task easier. Not only do i have 2 copies of it (as the first one contained a significant printing mistake and they sent me a second copy), they both just sit in my bookshelf "looking pretty".
It is lengthy and does not get to the core areas of the topic that you need.I barely touched in in my first year and it was by far the most useLESS in helping me pass ELS.

A highly enjoyable yet practical guide to English Law., 10 Jan 2001
This book is ideal for students of law. With its in depth analysis of the English legal structure together with high readability it is an easy to understand and helpful book for lawyers and non lawyers alike. A worthwhile buy for those who wish to understand the English legal system that little bit better.

Business Law - Didnt think it could be simplified and easy, 10 Feb 2004
when i picked this book up i thought that it was too high a price to pay for a book on an area for which other books cost a fraction of the price. upon inspection i found this book to be very easy and concise to read it is all perfectly laid out so that reference to it is neat.

Well worth price paid. if you want to buy it for cheaper check out the internetunder the 'books' tab its £price cheap huh!

Quality legal info simply put- Even an idiot like me can get, 22 Sep 2000
Easy to understand info put in clear terms. I am v. pleased with this book

Incoherent at times, 18 Nov 2008
This books is very informative but the style isn't the least bit engaging. It jumps around from case to case plucking points seemingly at random, and the authors belabour certain points to death. The way it separates information into chapters, sections and subsections does not seem logical in the least bit and is at complete odds with the way my lecture notes is laid out.

To be fair to the authors, EC law is a load of BS in general given that none of the ECJ's cases are binding precedents. This was confirmed when I cross-referenced cases from lectures, cases from another text and cases in this book. There was a stunning lack of overlap between the sources, and authors could pick from any number of sources to illustrate a point or principle.

But overall, not a student-friendly read.

ideal for EU lawyer transfer exams in UK, 18 Sep 2008
This comprehensive book gives you ALL you need to know about the history, system, institutions, freedoms, competition regulation etc of the EU. I used it as the base for my EU solicitor transfer exam and I didn't require any other textbook. If you only want to get an overview, this book is probably too much as it is very detailed.

Only because I had to buy it, 10 Dec 2006
This book is just VERY confusing. It spouts case after case without any real explanation. I've found it takes away from what I learn in my lectures (which I have actually enjoyed a lot!). Out of all my textbooks/casebooks for this year (contract, public and criminal law being the others) I have found this to be the most useless of all and hardest to read without falling asleep. The fact that I'm here two weeks before my EU law exam desperately searching for a revision guide to save me from failing isn't a great sign. But to be fair EU law can be hard to put down into words and, saying that, it has provided me with *some* information I suppose, so I've given it three out of five. It could just be a LOT clearer, if there wasn't so much waffle and pointless writing!

A Must for Student Nurses!, 29 Apr 2005
I've lost count the times I have used this book for assignments - very useful covering every subject imaginable

mine is well used, 19 Jul 2002
This book is a very good book for any student nurse at any level. I have been able to use this text book quite alot and have found it very easy to understand. The price has meant some of my friends have not bought it. However when time comes for assignments we all know that the libraries never have enough copies

Mental Health Act 2007 - Explained at last ..........., 30 May 2008
As a mental health student nurse studying for a BSc (hons) Degree, there are two areas that I continually struggle with day in and day out, the first is medication and the second is the Mental Health Act 1983, can you imagine the confusion when the Amended Mental Health Act 2007 came out. This book has been really good for me as it not only includes the full mental health act but also the amendments from 2007. also, this book includes mental capacity act. Basically, it has everything you need to help you plough through the current legislation in preparation for the 2007 act implementation in October. Details of certain mental act sections are easily located and explained. I did ponder about awarding 4 stars to this publication as a lot of the work tends to be a little wordy and could have been written in a much more basic form, but it cannot be faulted for it's content, therefore it got 5 stars. I am a degree student and found some of the chapters really hard going, but saying that, the mental health act is very difficult to read through. the book is concise and accurate and does explain a great deal about legislation background and how the amendment came about and what fuelled it's implementation. Overall this book would benefit any psychiatric student, mental health worker, approved social worker or mental health related doctors. Basically anyone who has dealings with mental health services on a professional level. as a student, i am very selective of the publications I purchase, this is one of the very very very few books that bring in the new 2007 mental health act, therefore it warranted a purchase and I am very pleased I did. It is well written, contains detailed explanations and above all, set out easily so certain information can be easily and quickly found. To keep its differen