With the Law on Our Side: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2026

by Lady Hale

**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026*

'A principled, timely and vital reminder of why justice matters' PHILIPPE SANDS
'Accessible, forensic and breathtakingly humane' SHAMI CHAKRABARTI

Told through captivating real cases in real courts, the former President of the Supreme Court leads us on a deeply entertaining and vitally important top-to-bottom tour of the law in our land.

Our laws and justice system might touch our lives when we have an accident, a wrong is done to us, or we have a family difficulty. They are vast, ancient and 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 – an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and activism – 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 schoolchildren, disabled people, 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, and which invite you to say where justice lies before knowing what the courts decided. We see first-hand how the people whose needs the law is designed to protect actually experience it.

With the Law on Our Side is a citizen’s guidebook 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.

'Brenda Hale is a national treasure. If this country made any sense, we'd make this book part of the syllabus' IAN DUNT

Genres: Nonfiction, Law, Audiobook

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2025

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at the justice system in place in England and Wales, told through the lens of various courts and cases. The technicalities went over my head in places, but it is about law after all! Ultimately very educational and accessible.

[Lara Penfold · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapter was a snooze but it got better

[Julie Oldfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting exploration of the UK legal system

[Steph Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into the judicial system with fascinating examples of cases and applied practises.

[Lila Robinson]

very insightful and useful

[Daniel Stylianou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an okay book. Nothing fantastic. Lady Hale takes you through the different court types very fleetingly, although fairly. I was a little surprised she referred to certain courts as “lowly”, which is quite insulting, even though it’s clear she means “lower” than the other courts. But a poor choice of words.

There’s nothing new really. It feels like a book written for the sake of writing a book. Which is a shame as Ladt Hale is an amazing trailblazer.