The fifth edition of Beginner’s Guide for Law Students is a foundational text which introduces first-year law students to:

• basic legal terminology and definitions; 

• the South African legal system’s objectives, history and subdivisions; and 

• legal research skills.

Students are introduced to the law as it stands, in accessible terms, with reference to the different sources of law and popular media, to demonstrate how the law affects the everyday lives of individuals and groups in South Africa. Without detracting from the book’s accessibility, students are made aware of the law’s complexity, contestability and uncertainties. 

Beginner’s Guide for Law Students goes further in exposing students to critical voices on existing law and encourages students to start developing their own informed opinions about the legal system and what it can and cannot achieve in addressing South African problems today. Students are invited to continuously reflect on the implications of the ‘transformative’ Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 for the various dimensions of law. However, it is also shown that transformative constitutionalism is not the be-all and end-all of South African law, free from its own limits and criticism. As such, relevant 'decolonial’ critiques of transformative constitutionalism are explored.

Key Features

• Conforms to the Council for Higher Education’s Qualification Standard for Bachelor of Laws (LLB). 
• Provides a broad, user-friendly view of the law written in simple language and elucidated by examples and diagrams. 
• Practical skills for making use of the sources of law and for conducting legal research are emphasised. 
• Concepts on decolonisation and a chapter dedicated to the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014 are incorporated. 
• Interactive self-assessment questions instantly validate learning. 
• Video lectures provide further context. 
• Audio glossaries of terms promote an understanding of commonly used terms and concepts. 
• Includes visual aids such as diagrams, infographics and flowcharts.
• Support material available on Juta Passmasters for lecturers and students. 

• The law
• A history of South African law
• Sources of South African law
• Classification of the law
• The Constitution: structures of governance
• The Constitution: human rights
• Private law
• Law and the business world
• Law of civil procedure
• Criminal law
• Law of criminal procedure
• Law of evidence
• Courts and appropriate dispute resolution
• The legal profession
• Legal comparison
• Language and law
• Legal argument and logic
• Perspectives on the law
• Legal research

• Students in introductory courses to the field of law
• Law teachers
• Researchers
• Libraries