Jowitt’s Dictionary of English Law is the only truly authoritative dictionary of English law, defining every legal term used, both old and new – from “abandonment”, in its many different contexts, to “zoonoses”. It provides clarity on the meaning of words, when drafting, interpreting and understanding legal materials or for any other form of legal research.
Key concepts in the law of the United Kingdom keep changing and developing their meanings, and practitioners need to be sure that they are using and interpreting expressions in accordance with the latest jurisprudence. Jowitt's Dictionary of English Law remains the authoritative starting point, and is regularly cited to and by the courts for this purpose. See, for example, reference to Jowitt for the meaning of "judgment in rem" in Deutsche Bank Ag (London Branch) v Central Bank of Venezuela [2022] EWHC 2040 (Comm) or for the meaning of "retrospective legislation" in Jazztel Plc v The Commissioners for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs [2022] EWCA Civ 232.
Jowitt is also the starting point for research in relation to new or unfamiliar legal concepts, and the Sixth Edition fully updates readers on the wide range of new concepts introduced by legislation in the last few years, from specialist terms such as "biodiversity net gain" in the Environment Act 2021 or "no fault divorce" in the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, to a wide range of updated terms of general importance such as burden of proof, legacy and mediation, among many others.
This title is typically used in conjunction with Stroud’s Judicial Dictionary and is regularly cited to and by the courts.
