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With the Law on Our Side

How the law works for everyone and how we can make it work better

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With the Law on Our Side

By: Lady Hale
Narrated by: Lady Hale
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Our laws and justice system are vast and ancient: they might touch our lives when we have an accident, a wrong is done to us, or we have a family difficulty. And they cover everything from the personal to the regulation of our government. But to most of us they are a web of intimidating institutions and practices.

Lady Hale – former President of the Supreme Court and an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed – shows us how the law is on our side. Taking us into the complexities of real courts and real decisions, we see that we all have rights: schoolchildren, the disabled, workers, minorities and patients.

Here are true stories from every part of the justice system, from lowly benefits tribunals and magistrates’ courts to the lofty heights of the Royal Courts of Justice and the Old Bailey; stories about the dilemmas of deciding what is right and just, which invite you to say where justice lies before knowing what the courts decided. From mundane situations to the dramatic and the extraordinary, we see how the people whose needs the law is designed to protect actually experience it.

With The Law on Our Side is a citizen’s handbook to the law in our land, a top-to-bottom tour with a supremely expert guide. In captivating stories, it tells us what the law is about, how it works and most importantly why we should all care about it.

© Lady Hale 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Gender Studies Law Practical Guides Professionals & Academics Social Sciences

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Critic reviews

A personal journey around the law, with real and accessible stories and characters – a principled, timely and vital reminder of why justice matters (Philippe Sands, author of East West Street)
Brenda Hale is a national treasure. If this country made any sense, we'd make this book part of the syllabus (Ian Dunt, author of How Westminster Works... And Why it Doesn't)
The Spiderwoman rides again; this time in plain clothes to report on how our legal system protects everyone. With the law under threat from decades of cuts, complacency and political hostility, this accessible, forensic and breathtakingly humane explanation may be her most important mission yet (Shami Chakrabarti, author of Human Rights)
Baroness Hale has done it again - combining wisdom, warmth, and razor-sharp insight to reveal how the law can serve not only the powerful but each and every one of us. This book is a rallying cry for justice that is truly on our side. It reminds us why the rule of law matters and why we must fight to preserve it (Cherie Blair CBE, KC)
Lady Hale has drawn back the often impenetrable curtain of the law to show us how, at its heart, it exists to protect us all … Everyone who cares about a fair and just society should read this book (Sarah Langford, author of In Your Defence)
Lady Hale opens the doors of the British legal system with clarity, insight, and a passion for justice ... She writes with conviction and a deep belief in the power of the law to serve everyone ... A reminder of how rare it is to hear from someone who has sat at the very top and still takes the time to observe from the ground. She is, without question, a pioneer - and a living testament to how far the law has come, and how far it still must go (Dr Charlotte Proudman, Barrister)
Essential reading. This is a remarkably accessible and engaging exploration of the social function of law and its vital role in protecting those whose voices are often unheard. With her legendary intellectual rigour and clarity, Lady Hale draws on her experience as a jurist and educator to demystify complex legal principles and bring them to life through compelling, real-world examples (Professor Dame Hazel Genn)
An excellent beginner's guide to the work of the courts be someone who knows them from both sides (Jonathan Sumption, author of The Challenges of Democracy)
[A] uniquely comprehensive and accessible explanation of our court system and law-making process… Hale shows why access to justice matters for everyone
[With the Law on Our Side] is primarily a book about everyday justice and on this it is powerful and urgent … The fundamental problem is how society thinks about justice … [Lady Hale's] book reminds us why it matters
All stars
Most relevant
Baroness Hale explains the structure of the legal and courts system in the UK in a manner that is clear, concise and interesting.
And she goes into sufficient detail to set out in readily understandable language the issues that arise across a whole range of legal topics, inviting the listeners to consider what their approach might be to those, often complex, issues.
Her exposition of the separation of powers and what actually happens in practice is masterful. Without appearing to be campaigning she sets out cogently why the rule of law and respect for it is the bedrock of a civilised society.
It is good that Baroness Hale reads the book herself.
Her diction is clear and captures the listener’s attention
This should be mandatory reading/listening for first year law students. But it will also be worth a listen by anyone who is interested in how society actually works

Why Law is the bedrock of a civilised society

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