Murdoch’s Dictionary of Irish Law

Murdoch’s Dictionary of Irish Law

Introduction

The Dictionary of Irish Law was first written to be a reference book that gives the reader a definition of the principal words and phrases encountered in Irish law. The dictionary fills that gap by providing a definition of key words, giving in most instances the legal source of such definition, whether statutory or judicial, and a brief introduction to the relevant law, in one volume.

The 5th edition of the Dictionary has been updated to state the law as enacted on 2008. References in the dictionary to Acts (1922 to present), Statutory Instruments (1922 to present), the Constitution of Ireland, Law Reform Commission Reports, Law Society Gazette issues etc. are linked to the full text of these documents to provide the most comprehensive set of Irish legal information from a single source. The dictionary now also links to relevant judgements of the Court of Criminal Appeal (2004 to present), The High Court (2003 to present) and the Supreme Court (2001 to present).

The Dictionary was designed primarily for busy practicing lawyers, whether barrister or solicitor, who want an aide memoire or an introduction to an area of law with which they are not immediately familiar, to fulfill their needs there and then, or point in the correct direction for further information. The dictionary has also proven useful to the growing number of persons who are directly involved in or who encounter the law in their work, study or otherwise.

Details

Hardcover: 1372 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Professional; 5 edition (February 6, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1847661645
ISBN-13: 978-1847661647

From the Publisher

It is a comprehensive volume, but no mere dictionary in the commonly understood sense of that word… The work ought to grace the shelves of every legal practitioner, but is by no means confined in its scope to lawyers The Irish Times, review of previous edition.

This was the first dictionary of Irish law. It defines the principal words, concepts and phrases, their legal source, whether statutory or judicial, and gives a brief introduction to the law. Now in its fourth edition and with its definitions having been cited in the Supreme Court, this book remains essential to the understanding and practice of the law.

Extensively cross-referenced to the relevant articles and books which can be consulted for further information, this book examines every area of Irish law thoroughly. References are included to the statutes enacted since 2000, as well as the more important statutory instruments and the hundreds of important judicial decisions.

Key features of the latest edition include some 1,000 additional words or concepts defined, scope of dictionary widened and content deepened, Constitution, Acts, Statutory Instruments and Law Reports updated to 2004, plus more in-depth coverage of judicial decisions, rules of court, European law, medical ethics, and codes of practice for lawyers plus a full bibliography on books, CDs and websites on Irish Law.

Whether you need a definition of a legal term or its legal meaning, or an introduction to an area of law that you are not particularly familiar with, Murdoch’s Dictionary of Irish Law, now in its fourth edition, is an excellent research tool.

Now three times the size of the 1988 first edition, Murdoch has established itself as the definitive Irish legal dictionary. Actually, the title ‘dictionary’ doesn’t really convey the scope and depth of its coverage. It gives definitions of words and phrases, including Latin phrases, and, in most cases, the legal sources of such definitions, whether statutory or judicial, as well as a brief introduction to the relevant law.

There are entries for law-related organisations (both national and international), Irish statutory bodies, and review groups such as the Company Law Review Group and the review of the courts system. There are entries for particular services, such as the Land Registry electronic access service.

Reflecting recent developments and new legislation, hundreds of new entries have been added to the fourth edition. Newcomers include ‘case management conference’, ‘commercial proceedings’, ‘eGovernment’, ’emissions trading’, and ‘European arrest warrant’.

The entry under ‘dictionary, use of’ states that a dictionary may be used in court to ascertain the meaning of words to which no particular legal interpretation attaches. A number of cases are listed that refer to the use of a dictionary, including this dictionary, in court.

Many entries run to half a page and longer and there are extensive cross-references to other related headings. Very usefully, entries also point to further information cases, textbooks, government reports, journal articles and websites.

The appendices include lists of law report abbreviations, Law Reform Commission reports, amendments to the constitution (including defeated amendments) and bibliographies of books on Irish and UK law referred to in the dictionary entries.

Online Dictionary

Murdoch’s Dictionary of Irish Law edited by Dr Brian Hunt, Solicitor and containing over 10,000 legal definitions from “a coelo usque ad centrum” to “zoonoses” . Over 1,500 New and Amended Dictionary Legal Definitions added in 2012.

See Also

Black’s Law Dictionary
Words and Phrases Judicially Considered
Penguin Dictionary of Law
Dictionary of International and Comparative Law
Stimson’s Law dictionary
Mozley and Whiteley’s Law Dictionary
Semantic Indexing and Law Dictionary
Bouvier’s Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia, 1914
Osborn’s Concise Law Dictionary
International Law: A Dictionary
Historical Dictionary of International Tribunals

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *