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The Bramble Bush: The Classic Lectures on the Law and Law School
For over seventy years, there has been one book that law students have read to prepare for what they were about to encounter. That book is The Bramble Bush . After all these years and many imitators, The Bramble Bush remains one of the most popular introductions to the law and its study.
Llewellyn introduces students to what the law is, how to read cases, how to prepare for class, and how justice in the real world relates to the law. Although laws change every year, disputes between people haven't altered all that much since Llewellyn first penned The Bramble Bush , and the process of moving from private dispute to legal conflict still follows the patterns he described.
Moreover, the steps of a legal dispute, from arguments to verdict, to opinion, to review, to appeal, to opinion have changed little in their significance or their substance. Cases are still the best tools for exploring the interaction of the law with individual questions, and the essence of what law students must learn to do has persisted. If anything, many of the points Llewellyn argued in these lectures were on the dawning horizon then but are in their mid-day fullness now.
Llewellyn introduces students to what the law is, how to read cases, how to prepare for class, and how justice in the real world relates to the law. Although laws change every year, disputes between people haven't altered all that much since Llewellyn first penned The Bramble Bush , and the process of moving from private dispute to legal conflict still follows the patterns he described.
Moreover, the steps of a legal dispute, from arguments to verdict, to opinion, to review, to appeal, to opinion have changed little in their significance or their substance. Cases are still the best tools for exploring the interaction of the law with individual questions, and the essence of what law students must learn to do has persisted. If anything, many of the points Llewellyn argued in these lectures were on the dawning horizon then but are in their mid-day fullness now.
230 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1953
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 30, 2018
I finally read the Bramble Bush by Karl Llewellyn. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the book is an adaptation of a series of lectures Professor Llewellyn tailored and gave to new law students. It is often recommended to those starting law school and, for what it is worth, I wholeheartedly agree with that recommendation.
Despite no longer being the target audience, I still found the book illuminating as a young lawyer. I even think, that I enjoyed the book more now than I would have on the eve of law school. Accordingly, I recommend this book to all other young lawyers, it is fantastic!
After the fires of law school and as I sit in the trenches that are the early years of the practice, Karl's words are a welcome comfort and inspiration.
Of the many quotes I could share, the below is particularly relevant given the modern computerization of the the legal profession. Now, more than ever, we need human lawyers, not legal machines.
"It is not easy thus to turn human beings into lawyers. Neither is it safe. For a mere legal machine is a social danger. Indeed a mere legal machine is not even a good lawyer. It lacks insight and judgment. It lacks the power to draw into hunching that body of intangibles that lie in social experience. None the less, it is an almost impossible process to achieve the technique without sacrificing some humanity first. Hence, as rapidly as we may, we shall first cut under all attributes of homo, through the sapiens we shall then duly endeavor to develop will, we hope, regain the homo."
There are few true lions of the law, despite how often that expression is bandied about, and Karl was one of them.
I can't recommend this book enough!
Despite no longer being the target audience, I still found the book illuminating as a young lawyer. I even think, that I enjoyed the book more now than I would have on the eve of law school. Accordingly, I recommend this book to all other young lawyers, it is fantastic!
After the fires of law school and as I sit in the trenches that are the early years of the practice, Karl's words are a welcome comfort and inspiration.
Of the many quotes I could share, the below is particularly relevant given the modern computerization of the the legal profession. Now, more than ever, we need human lawyers, not legal machines.
"It is not easy thus to turn human beings into lawyers. Neither is it safe. For a mere legal machine is a social danger. Indeed a mere legal machine is not even a good lawyer. It lacks insight and judgment. It lacks the power to draw into hunching that body of intangibles that lie in social experience. None the less, it is an almost impossible process to achieve the technique without sacrificing some humanity first. Hence, as rapidly as we may, we shall first cut under all attributes of homo, through the sapiens we shall then duly endeavor to develop will, we hope, regain the homo."
There are few true lions of the law, despite how often that expression is bandied about, and Karl was one of them.
I can't recommend this book enough!
April 15, 2022
This book was recommended to me by my law school’s Dean the summer before I started my first semester of classes. I have a lot of respect for her and I’ll be honest that the shine of her recommendation may have added a star to my rating that probably wouldn’t have been there if I had just happened upon this book. That being said, it’s a classic for a reason and Llewellyn is highly respected as a legal scholar and philosopher. He shaped the modern legal landscape with his scholarship and work, including being one of the primary drafters of the Uniform Commercial Code, which is currently the bane of my existence in Contracts.
These lectures–specifically aimed at new law students–are meant to introduce some of the fundamental challenges that students face, both practical (reading cases) and philosophical (what is law?). I found myself inspired by the way he urges his students to prepare themselves for the tasks of understanding, analyzing, and dealing with the study of law. Llewelyn likens our struggles with law to the struggle through a bramble bush–you can’t walk away unscathed.
He can be at once both a bright eyed idealist and a hardened cynic when it comes to the realities of practicing law. At times he’s funny and seemingly unvarnished in his candor, which was an unexpected surprise from a legal philosopher.
Ultimately, a book about being a law student derived from lectures written in the 1930’s seems like it could fall flat to modern readers, but I felt like I was able to glean valuable insights about law school before I stepped foot in a classroom by reading it. This book holds a special place in my heart because I felt by reading it I was initiated in my first rite of passage as a law student. (I know how self-congratulatory it sounds, just let me have this one small thing.) Unfortunately the bright-eyed idealism and determination it engendered did not last too long into my first semester, and now instead of studying I’m distracting myself by writing reviews on GoodReads.
These lectures–specifically aimed at new law students–are meant to introduce some of the fundamental challenges that students face, both practical (reading cases) and philosophical (what is law?). I found myself inspired by the way he urges his students to prepare themselves for the tasks of understanding, analyzing, and dealing with the study of law. Llewelyn likens our struggles with law to the struggle through a bramble bush–you can’t walk away unscathed.
He can be at once both a bright eyed idealist and a hardened cynic when it comes to the realities of practicing law. At times he’s funny and seemingly unvarnished in his candor, which was an unexpected surprise from a legal philosopher.
Ultimately, a book about being a law student derived from lectures written in the 1930’s seems like it could fall flat to modern readers, but I felt like I was able to glean valuable insights about law school before I stepped foot in a classroom by reading it. This book holds a special place in my heart because I felt by reading it I was initiated in my first rite of passage as a law student. (I know how self-congratulatory it sounds, just let me have this one small thing.) Unfortunately the bright-eyed idealism and determination it engendered did not last too long into my first semester, and now instead of studying I’m distracting myself by writing reviews on GoodReads.
February 12, 2019
Dated and wandering. Some insightful, interesting parts, but definitely not the essential pre-law classic I was expecting.
May 31, 2017
The Bramble Bush is a collection of lectures given by Karl N. Llewellyn to incoming law school students. These lectures were originally given at Columbia Law School in 1929 and 1930,. The lectures have been in print more or less continuously since then. This edition, 2008, has been, according to its editors slightly tweaked. Exactly what this mean I know not.
The purpose of this book was to direct law students on the philosophy of being a successful law student and on the progression they should experience as they become more learned students of the law. Included are some practical thoughts on how the law works and the role of law and lawyers in the larger world.
I am not a lawyer and have little interest in becoming a law student. My purpose in reading this short book (177 pages) was to gain insight in how lawyers are taught to think about their profession. Part of what made this older text more interesting to me was that the speaker was addressing the topic before it was painted, or tainted by contemporary politics.
As a member of a general audience rather than the targeted audience, I liked what Professor LLewllyn has to say. The process of immersing yourself in the law and training yourself to conduct exhaustive research is a philosophy that more of us should embrace. The professor was addressing students with no access to even primitive electronic retrieval of cases and court ruling. Too much of what passes for public discourse in our day of unlimited data retrieval seems to be informed by our emotional response to pre-packaged incomplete data, designed to create that emotional response. Too many of us speak from our respective echo chambers, citing as factual, data that was custom designed to fuel our pre-existing left/right leanings. That there is research to support this opinion saddens me.
Of greater interest to me were Prof. Llewellyn's comments on case law and precedence. He indicates that much of what the courts do, and have always done is not driven by a simple reading of enacted legislation. The notion that the more conservative approach is always the exclusive reading of the legislative documents is in fact a rejection of how law is and has been and is designed to function.
Llewllyn contends that the fact that a dispute is allowed into a court is because other solutions have failed. Even today judges will require evidence that the disputants (civil cases in particular) have exhausted administrative relief and that arbitration has not satisfied the parties. From this point case law provides the rules to direct the process of the case as well as precedence for deciding this type of case. None of this information is typically or necessarily part of enacted law.
Because this is material intended for a lecture series presentation tends to precede depth. The result is that this book is more accessible to a non-technician. Professor Llewellyn speaks from his positive passion for his profession and from his desire to direct students rather than to assure his students.
I therefore feel that this book can inform a modern reader and have value beyond its intended audience. In its intended purpose, instructions for incoming law students, it may be dated but it seems valuable. As guidance for serious minded thinkers beyond a law school settling , The Bramble Bush still has much to tell.
The purpose of this book was to direct law students on the philosophy of being a successful law student and on the progression they should experience as they become more learned students of the law. Included are some practical thoughts on how the law works and the role of law and lawyers in the larger world.
I am not a lawyer and have little interest in becoming a law student. My purpose in reading this short book (177 pages) was to gain insight in how lawyers are taught to think about their profession. Part of what made this older text more interesting to me was that the speaker was addressing the topic before it was painted, or tainted by contemporary politics.
As a member of a general audience rather than the targeted audience, I liked what Professor LLewllyn has to say. The process of immersing yourself in the law and training yourself to conduct exhaustive research is a philosophy that more of us should embrace. The professor was addressing students with no access to even primitive electronic retrieval of cases and court ruling. Too much of what passes for public discourse in our day of unlimited data retrieval seems to be informed by our emotional response to pre-packaged incomplete data, designed to create that emotional response. Too many of us speak from our respective echo chambers, citing as factual, data that was custom designed to fuel our pre-existing left/right leanings. That there is research to support this opinion saddens me.
Of greater interest to me were Prof. Llewellyn's comments on case law and precedence. He indicates that much of what the courts do, and have always done is not driven by a simple reading of enacted legislation. The notion that the more conservative approach is always the exclusive reading of the legislative documents is in fact a rejection of how law is and has been and is designed to function.
Llewllyn contends that the fact that a dispute is allowed into a court is because other solutions have failed. Even today judges will require evidence that the disputants (civil cases in particular) have exhausted administrative relief and that arbitration has not satisfied the parties. From this point case law provides the rules to direct the process of the case as well as precedence for deciding this type of case. None of this information is typically or necessarily part of enacted law.
Because this is material intended for a lecture series presentation tends to precede depth. The result is that this book is more accessible to a non-technician. Professor Llewellyn speaks from his positive passion for his profession and from his desire to direct students rather than to assure his students.
I therefore feel that this book can inform a modern reader and have value beyond its intended audience. In its intended purpose, instructions for incoming law students, it may be dated but it seems valuable. As guidance for serious minded thinkers beyond a law school settling , The Bramble Bush still has much to tell.
November 18, 2021
what a strange book! it's probably best known today for the final sentence in the "before sunrise" chapter ("it will give pleasure, it will give foolish pride, it will give honor"), which is quoted frequently, but the remainder of of the book consists llewellyn painting with similarly ponderous, purple prose while chasing that OW holmes-grade bons mots ("the life of the law has not been logic; the life of the law has been experience"). if you thought benjamin cardozo stretched himself in pursuit of the labored metaphor, you ain't seen nothing yet.
i've read a lot of llewellyn's work, and it's all like this - yoda-type phrasings ("here is man, i say, here is a man!", "read you should"), clunky lines ("milk him you may and milk him you must"), and sentences so laden with qualifications and double negatives the meaning is nigh-impossible to determine ("he is not in the least someone who is not not insignificant"). not to mention all the throat-clearing "if i may(s)" and "if you will be so kind as to allow me to venture a guess(es)" you'll find in most of the published lectures from this period.
that said, the book itself does a good job of connecting the tissue of 1930s legal education - much of which remained relevant when i read these collected lectures for the first time in 2007, perhaps less so now with the legal academy in steep decline - and explaining how the dispute-resolving function of law evolved to suit the changing needs of cultures that survive through generation-to-generation education (which, per KL, is what really preserves order, with law stepping in when order breaks down). he also deals with matters such as the significance of the law review and outside reading in law school (valuable in 2007, less so today) and the lowly status of the working lawyer (evergreen).
worth reading? hard to say. a lot of the legal realists and proto-legal realists were memorably bad writers. cardozo is probably the most readable and jerome frank the most conversational (but also given to his own goofy turns of phrase like "judges are just old mother hubbards in ermine"), with KL an absolute disasterpiece of a thinker. his law review articles, which established the professional boundaries of legal realism, are messy, 20-30 pages that take hours to read due to how poorly organized and written they are. but he was influential, surely fun in the classroom or seminar, and his heart was in the right place. so there's that.
i've read a lot of llewellyn's work, and it's all like this - yoda-type phrasings ("here is man, i say, here is a man!", "read you should"), clunky lines ("milk him you may and milk him you must"), and sentences so laden with qualifications and double negatives the meaning is nigh-impossible to determine ("he is not in the least someone who is not not insignificant"). not to mention all the throat-clearing "if i may(s)" and "if you will be so kind as to allow me to venture a guess(es)" you'll find in most of the published lectures from this period.
that said, the book itself does a good job of connecting the tissue of 1930s legal education - much of which remained relevant when i read these collected lectures for the first time in 2007, perhaps less so now with the legal academy in steep decline - and explaining how the dispute-resolving function of law evolved to suit the changing needs of cultures that survive through generation-to-generation education (which, per KL, is what really preserves order, with law stepping in when order breaks down). he also deals with matters such as the significance of the law review and outside reading in law school (valuable in 2007, less so today) and the lowly status of the working lawyer (evergreen).
worth reading? hard to say. a lot of the legal realists and proto-legal realists were memorably bad writers. cardozo is probably the most readable and jerome frank the most conversational (but also given to his own goofy turns of phrase like "judges are just old mother hubbards in ermine"), with KL an absolute disasterpiece of a thinker. his law review articles, which established the professional boundaries of legal realism, are messy, 20-30 pages that take hours to read due to how poorly organized and written they are. but he was influential, surely fun in the classroom or seminar, and his heart was in the right place. so there's that.
February 1, 2018
I read this book in preparation for law school. As the title entails, the book is a collection of lectures given to prospective law school students about studying the law.
As they are lectures from 1929 and 1930, the language is at times hard to follow, but notes by the editor have cleared up much of the confusing parts. For anyone thinking of attending law school, this book gives good advice. It seems that Karl Llewellyn was more of a legal realist, which makes for interesting perspectives, especially given the evolving theories of jurisprudence during the time. It is at times motivating and inspiring. Although, personally I found it hard to get through because of the language.
I wouldn't consider this book a must-read as many do, but it is definitely informational and an interesting perspective.
As they are lectures from 1929 and 1930, the language is at times hard to follow, but notes by the editor have cleared up much of the confusing parts. For anyone thinking of attending law school, this book gives good advice. It seems that Karl Llewellyn was more of a legal realist, which makes for interesting perspectives, especially given the evolving theories of jurisprudence during the time. It is at times motivating and inspiring. Although, personally I found it hard to get through because of the language.
I wouldn't consider this book a must-read as many do, but it is definitely informational and an interesting perspective.
May 24, 2021
I have to say, if I heard a guy give a speech like this in public I would probably laugh. There is something you sacrifice when you speak in tongues with illustrative language. The writing/speaking style was hard to follow and I frequently had to re read sections. That being said I appreciate the advise. But I had to dig too hard to understand anything.
TLDR: If you want some practical advise pick another book with bullet points. If you want a novel about law school for entertainment this is for you.
TLDR: If you want some practical advise pick another book with bullet points. If you want a novel about law school for entertainment this is for you.
March 24, 2025
Don’t get me wrong - if you want to attend law school or are already in law school, you should absolutely read this book. It is just very … verbose at times. Some passages/chapters may read more like the author’s personal philosophy on the workings of human nature than a tell-all about what it’s like attending law school (and in some editions, the author will admit that himself in the footnotes). But still an informative read. I just found it a bit overcooked in some places and raw in others.
June 1, 2025
Realistic approach to law. How to build a case, how law actually functions, how many factors are out of your control, and how to analyze all the components such that you can achieve your own personal outcome as a lawyer. Not about the spirit of the law, but how to cater the law to get what you want.
October 3, 2021
Helpful Read
Was looking for a broad overview of what a law school would be like. This was helpful with painting a picture and filling in a lot of gaps of my basic knowledge of the education and profession.
Was looking for a broad overview of what a law school would be like. This was helpful with painting a picture and filling in a lot of gaps of my basic knowledge of the education and profession.
August 29, 2017
I better get good grades for it, lol
May 31, 2019
The writing is often dense, but not too difficult to follow (Steve Sheppard's notes are a big help). Overall, an informative introduction!
July 5, 2017
A must read for law students who are about to embark on to their legal education and current law students who are already on their course on becoming lawyers. Every now and then, I read this book. It contains timeless advice on studying law and what aids we can employ to to help us to understand law better.
I think that Llewellyn strives to provide a lucid guideline (or mechanism) to understand and analyse appellate court decisions (Sheppard shares similar views as well). Lawyers practicing at appellate courts would benefit from reading this book. He deploys various analytical methods to scrutinise an appellate decision.
Llewellyn is a realist, he says that existing rules do not lead to the decision of a particular dispute. These rules, he adds further, acts merely as a guide at arriving to a decision (or prediction). He says "what these officials do about disputes is, to my mind, the law itself". He suggests that law is what the officials do, meanwhile rules are guides that predicts their conduct, by arriving whatever 'prediction' that is sought by the lawyers of the parties to the dispute.
I think that Llewellyn strives to provide a lucid guideline (or mechanism) to understand and analyse appellate court decisions (Sheppard shares similar views as well). Lawyers practicing at appellate courts would benefit from reading this book. He deploys various analytical methods to scrutinise an appellate decision.
Llewellyn is a realist, he says that existing rules do not lead to the decision of a particular dispute. These rules, he adds further, acts merely as a guide at arriving to a decision (or prediction). He says "what these officials do about disputes is, to my mind, the law itself". He suggests that law is what the officials do, meanwhile rules are guides that predicts their conduct, by arriving whatever 'prediction' that is sought by the lawyers of the parties to the dispute.
June 12, 2015
Pretty good book. Really breaks down the case method and what law school is like, at least in the 1930s. And thanks to our antiquated, conservative profession, not much has changed since the 1930s!
So, Mr. Llewellyn breaks down why we read cases from the appellate or supreme courts, reason for the socratic method, how we should read cases, how cases(opinions really) are structured, and etc. 2nd half of the book is more theoretical and how Lawyers are perceived/function in society. He does also talk about the 2nd and 3rd year in the 2nd half of the book as well.
I can see why this book is on so many recommended reading lists put out by the Law Schools. One can finish it within 9 days. Just gives necessary background on law schools and what one can or may expect when entering law school. Not a perfect 100% summary but provides a good backbone.
So, Mr. Llewellyn breaks down why we read cases from the appellate or supreme courts, reason for the socratic method, how we should read cases, how cases(opinions really) are structured, and etc. 2nd half of the book is more theoretical and how Lawyers are perceived/function in society. He does also talk about the 2nd and 3rd year in the 2nd half of the book as well.
I can see why this book is on so many recommended reading lists put out by the Law Schools. One can finish it within 9 days. Just gives necessary background on law schools and what one can or may expect when entering law school. Not a perfect 100% summary but provides a good backbone.
December 6, 2010
Yes it is about law school. But it is also about education, life and how we as a society get along. Not popular reading, but thought provoking, and since it is from a series of lectures given in the 1920-30's, it is a classic. Not a date or stuffy writing style. It could have been written yesterday, except the vocabulary is too difficult and the thought process too deep for a modern writer.
Steve
Steve
January 29, 2016
The premier read for first year law students. While not necessary, Llewellyn's eloquent prose shapes the legal field in a way in which allows the reader to engage with what he has to say, and, for myself at least, energizes one to study harder, and really immerse oneself in the legal realm. Llewellyn's tone is wandering and philosophical in nature and while that could be frustrating to some, it made the book all the more enjoyable, in my opinion.
August 7, 2010
Another "strongly recommended" read by UH Law Center. Written some 80-odd years ago by an Ivy-League professor, the book is meant to give you an idea of how to prepare for law school and the case system. In that regard, it succeeded. On the other hand, I found the language rather dense and the book an overall chore to get through.
March 24, 2007
Essentially, the first week of law school's lectures. If you're going, have ever thought of applying, or know someone who is, you'll appreciate the dense writing and complex structure. A must for the pre-1L's.
August 21, 2011
Recommended by my law school professors for summer reading. Some areas are very dense. Others are witty and informative. Be prepared to skim through some sections and you can read it rather quickly.
June 5, 2013
couldn't even finish reading it........sad
Read
August 9, 2014Very dense in places, and I had to take it in small doses, but it was very informative and answered some questions that I had begun to wonder about, and other questions I didn't know to ask.
August 19, 2016
Apparently concision hadn't yet been invented.
August 8, 2020
Helpful tips but lots of superfluous information.
Read
April 20, 2017Recommended by Bill Altreuter (Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo).
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews