From legal fiction to writing guides to insights from seasoned lawyers, there's no shortage of books for legal professionals out there. Books exist all along the spectrum aimed at everyone, from potential law school students to those rebuilding their legal career with a solo practice.
We've assembled a list of 15 of the best books for lawyers in different categories—from getting started as a new attorney to smoothing out your day-to-day operations with new project and time management ideas. We've also paired each recommendation with quotes from actual readers on the value they got out of each book.
Best Books for Law School Students and Fledgling Lawyers
Law students should think broadly beyond applying case law. Working in the legal market requires them to consider productivity, communication, client management, and even business strategy.
These books are designed to give prospective lawyers a taste of the business and strategies for balancing the various job requirements.
1. How to Like Being a Lawyer: Thriving in BigLaw, Small Law & Solopreneurship, H.S. Orr
New graduates have important decisions to make when it comes to tracks of practicing law: enter the corporate world of BigLaw, secure a nonprofit or public service career, or open their own firm.
Lawyers invest years to get into their profession and often make big financial investments for the privilege. And yet public opinion of lawyers is low, job openings are scarce, and plenty of studies show that most lawyers are unhappy. This book endeavors to help lawyers find happiness and peace in their careers regardless of which track they've chosen.
"Truly insightful and informative guide to operating in the legal arena. I found these lessons applicable to the world of business as well. Well written, progresses logically, and easy to read."- Monique O.
Best on Starting and Running a Law Firm
Any law student planning to start their own practice should view hanging their shingle as a form of entrepreneurship. Recognizing how technology, client demands, and competition all affect running a law firm today, those entering the field can turn to these books for a good perspective on what it takes and some of the challenges they will face.
2. Project Management in Electronic Discovery: An Introduction to Core Principles of Legal Project Management and Leadership In eDiscovery, Michael Quartararo
This book combines winning concepts from project management and applies them to deliverables for electronic discovery and litigation support. Attorneys managing big cases who want to use these best practices will find it easier to collect, organize, and share critical information throughout cases using electronic discovery.
"Whether one is managing the first project or improvising, this guide will offer the best practices and confidence needed for defining goals and achieving them for enhancement and ensuring future projects are executed smoothly."- Maribel R.
3. Traction, Gino Wickman
Equal parts project management and CEO-style strategy, Traction helps lawyers discover a way of hiring, training, conducting meetings, and running a business based on the principles of the Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS.)
"I've been running businesses and coaching CEOs for over 30 years. Traction is one of the most practical and useful guides for professionalizing a good business and turning it into a great business. Gino Wickman knows about businesses, people, and processes. His six segments cover all of what is necessary to get hold of a business, plan its future, get everyone aligned, and move forward with purpose and efficiency. His useful tools for holding meetings, planning, evaluating people, and measuring results are all available online for free download. If I were still running a company, every manager would have a copy of this book, and we would follow the meeting pulse suggested in Traction."- E.S. Cox
Best Books for Marketing Yourself as a Lawyer
Streamlining the business operations of your firm is just one part of the problem that lawyers need to solve. If you want to keep your doors open, you need a plan to market yourself effectively so that you can maintain a steady flow of new clients.
This book will help you find your market and teach you the best ways to reach and convert them.
4. Niching Up, Chris Dreyer
In Niching Up, Rankings.io CEO and Founder Chris Dreyer walks his readers through the strategies that helped his company, an SEO agency for personal injury attorneys, hit the top of industry lists year after year.
Through stories of lessons learned and how he learned them, Chris reveals the path to enduring notoriety and long-term profitability through a streamlined, specialized focus on SEO marketing for attorneys.
By reading this book, lawyers can learn from one of the best how they can make it big by simplifying, reducing their prospects, and having the right mindset.
Purchase your copy of Niching Up today here.
5. The Game Changing Attorney, Michael Mogill
If you're looking to use attorney video marketing to propel your law firm, this book is for you. Written by Crisp Video Group's Michael Mogill, The Game Changing Attorney walks readers through the process of creating visual content that helps them stand out from the competition.
If you've already read this one and you're looking for more, you can also check out Mogill's standout podcast. We even featured it on our list of best personal injury podcasts for lawyers.
Really changes how you think about running a firm! I cannot recommend this enough. If you have a law firm, it is time to get serious. This book will help you navigate unreasonable growth! - Franklin M. Mills
Best Books for Starting Your Own Law Practice
Once you've settled into your career, it can be hard to tell what steps to take next. These books were written for lawyers who are assessing their options for career growth and striking out on their own as solo practitioners.
6. Attorney and Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law: Planning and Operating for Survival and Growth, Edward Poll.
Designed for lawyers thinking about starting their own firm, this book outlines the basics of what attorneys need to know before making the leap and draws lessons from successful law firms all over the country.
"It is important for lawyers, especially for solos and those in small firms, to not only be technically competent in the law but also understand business factors such as marketing, accounting, collections of accounts receivable, insurance, write-offs, branding, cash flow, financial statements, leverage, financial management, banking, technology, hiring and firing, appraisals, managing employees and many other matters essential to the successful practice of law as a business. Luckily, Mr. Poll deals with each of these topics (and more) in an easy-to-understand manner that will be sure to improve your bottom line." -A. Nye
Best Books on Business
Running your law firm is about so much more than handling cases. It's about running a business, too. This requires knowledge of accounting, operations, HR, marketing, and more. These books cover those vital topics.
7. The E Myth Attorney, Michael E. Gerber
Based on Michael Gerber's well-respected business principles but adapted for the legal industry, this book helps new solo and small firm lawyers get started quickly. In addition to basic business strategies, the book also features the insights of two lawyers who have already applied Gerber's insights to their law firms.
8. The Marble and the Sculptor: From Law School to Law Practice, Keith Robert Lee
Law school doesn't prepare most lawyers for running the day-to-day operations of a business. This book dives deep into what it takes to run a law practice besides practical knowledge of providing legal services.
Many reviewers suggest that it's beneficial to read before going into law school for those aspiring attorneys hoping to open a solo practice.
"I have practiced law for over 25 years, and if I were giving advice to new attorneys, this would be the book I'd write."- Ernest S.
9. You Can't Teach Hungry: Creating the Multimillion Dollar Law Firm, John Morgan
This book is a modern classic from the founder of one of the largest personal injury law firms in the country. In You Can't Teach Hungry, John Morgan shares his best advice for growing a sustainable multimillion-dollar law firm, drawing on three decades of experience.
Morgan details his business perspective, marketing, and advertising plans and provides insight into the tools he uses to evaluate his firm. The book also includes downloadable templates and resources to help you grow.
“Insightful, revealing, and bold, John Morgan freely shares information, experience, and strategy others would guard as strictly proprietary. I appreciated that the author shared some of his own vulnerabilities as it somehow eased the discomfort of the difficult questions he insisted the reader ask of him or herself if only a little. Practical hands-on information anyone in business—lawyer or nonlawyer—can use as a road map for success.”- Susan Brown
Best Books on Productivity and Time Management
Staying productive and on task is critical for lawyers. Getting the most out of the time you have available to work helps you scale up your law firm. These books provide you with insight into winning time management strategies.
10. The Client Centered Law Firm: How to Succeed in an Experience-Driven World, Jack Newton
According to Newton, lawyers are focusing too much on marketing, systems, and daily activities that harm them across the board. Narrowing in on what's most important to clients is critical for maximum productivity and client happiness. One of the best law firm management books, it features many actionable steps for lawyers who want to revisit their law firm's framework.
"Jack Newton takes the reader through the logic and reasoning behind why client-centered services will benefit every firm. As each firm will vary in how it should focus efforts, it's a book about the strategy, not the tactics. There's no magic pill or silver bullet formula for every firm. The industry in general and lawyers individually are under great pressure to adapt. Yet, most of the time, that pressure just makes people feel even more overwhelmed. But this book is a guide that will get you on the journey. It won't give you a fish, it will teach you to think like a fisherman."- Jess
11. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, Cal Newport
While not a legal book, Cal Newport's Deep Work manuscript is helpful for lawyers who struggle with going back and forth between focus periods and day-to-day tasks like office management and client communication.
The primary thrust is that there are two kinds of work most people do: deep and shallow. Knowing the difference and spending as much time in deep work mode can help you thrive.
Even though lawyers won't be able to disengage from their offices like Henry David Thoreau or Steve Jobs, they'll find practical advice for decreasing distractions and increasing their output in deep work sessions.
"This was quite an inspiring but challenging read. Not challenging in the sense of difficult - the book is very-well written and flows easily - but it goes against the grain of so many current social and work habits and fads. In this reader at least, the book did provoke quite a profound sense of loss when I realized what I could and did achieve earlier in my life against what my current distracted self can achieve. The book falls into two broad sections: the first is the why—why deep work is good but why it doesn't happen; the second is the how—tips to make deep work happen in your life, with very different approaches depending upon the nature of one's life and work."- JWH
Best Books on Mental Health, Personal Growth, and Happiness
Striking a healthy work-life balance and avoiding burnout can be difficult for many lawyers. These books are meant to help you find ways to develop your career without sacrificing your well-being.
12. The Happy Lawyer, Douglas O. Linder
The author connects individual personality types to how this might impact someone's level of happiness working in various fields of the law.
As a bonus, those who read this in law school will find support for selecting a school that resonates with them.
"This book covers an amazingly broad range of topics given its moderate length. Anyone connected with the practice of law in any way will benefit from the fascinating discussion of so many different issues, from psychology and employee relations to architecture and philosophy. I've never read anything like this book, but I'm certainly glad I stumbled upon it."- David
13. The New Law Business Model: Build a Lucrative Law Practice That You (and Your Clients) Love, Ali Katz
For lawyers who don't want to join a bigger practice but are looking for a practice area with a low risk of burnout, Ali Katz's book promoting estate planning and business law is perfect for many attorneys. She shares her personal experience and some of the foundations of her coaching company's philosophy about attracting clients and building consistent revenue in these practice areas.
"Great advice, practical, easy to follow. Ali also has great suggestions for other books that will benefit any law firm owner. What I loved most is that it's ok to love being a solo if that's what makes you happy. So many other coaches force this ideal of perpetual growth. But growth without joy is meaningless."- Nat G.
Best Fiction Books for Lawyers
Almost every experienced lawyer can point back to some inspiration from fiction. These are some all-time favorites.
14. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
This book isn't just high school required reading: the story of Atticus Finch resonates with most attorneys and judges for years beyond when they first encountered it. The power of winning arguments and how the law can deliver (or fail to deliver) justice encouraged many to consider law as a career in the first place.
"Full of life lessons. Atticus is pretty much the perfect human, and the wisdom he imparts to Scout and Jem is profound. I liked how Harper Lee took her time building up to the actual trial. She shows us years of life in Maycomb so that the reader can truly understand the South in the 1930s. There is a rich cast of supporting characters, all vividly drawn. It's tragic to realize that not all that much has changed in how our country treats black people since the time of this book. Black people are still treated unfairly by the criminal justice system quite often, resulting in America's huge mass incarceration problem."- Rachel M.
15. The Firm, John Grisham
Grisham's collection of books about the legal industry is widely read by lawyers and the general public. His second book, which was turned into a movie, inspired a generation of would-be lawyers.
Grisham has a slew of other must-read books (many of them bestsellers) for those who enjoy legal fiction, some of which are based on his personal life.
“John Grisham is extraordinarily entertaining and my favorite storyteller. Imagine my delight when I discovered recently this was the only one of his books I did not have. I realized that although I had seen the movie long ago, I had never read the novel. I ordered it and read it immediately. Great depth and detail, but still easy to follow.” - CBWMO
16. The Children Act, Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan’s The Children Act is a remarkable novel that explores the complexities of ethical and legal dilemmas, making it an essential read for lawyers in family law. The story revolves around Fiona Maye, a respected Family Court judge in London, who faces a heart-wrenching case involving a 17-year-old boy named Adam, who refuses life-saving treatment for leukemia due to his religious beliefs. This poignant plot sets the stage for a gripping exploration of the intersection of law, morality, and personal conscience.
What makes The Children Act particularly compelling for legal professionals is McEwan’s honest portrayal of the challenges judges encounter when navigating emotionally charged cases. Fiona struggles with her responsibilities as a judge while grappling with her own personal issues, including her crumbling marriage. Through her character, McEwan skillfully illustrates the weight of judicial decisions—showing that the law is not always black and white and that human emotions play a significant role in the legal process.
Best Books for Lawyers Who Write Often
Anyone in the legal profession should also keep style guides, grammar books, and legal writing books on their library or office shelves.
17. The Elements of Legal Style, Bryan A. Garner
Any good lawyer should own a copy of this stylebook covering topics from structure to word choice to quotations, defined terms, and more. The book is filled with great examples of prose in legal history, allowing readers to apply the concepts to practice quickly and effectively.
Add this to your legal practice reading list whether you're a young lawyer or a seasoned legal professional.
"This book is (1) a reference book, (2) an invaluable resource, (3) more than just a grammar or style book ever thought of being, (4) chocked full of historical information and legal literary quotes, (5) presented in a humorous and accessible manner, and (6) the standard to which all legal writers should aspire."- Fred W.
18. Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges, Bryan A. Garner and Antonin Scalia
One of the best books in the legal industry for making precise and compelling arguments to judges and juries, Garner and Scalia touch on legal brief writing, legal reasoning, trial preparation, and how to be persuasive in oral arguments.
"The concepts shared in this book provide an excellent foundation for litigation. I was going to say I wished I had read it earlier in my career, but I am not sure if I would have appreciated its value without first having experienced the challenges of multiple trials, motions, and hearings before a judge." -Leighton
Update Your Reading List Now
Whether you're just starting as a first-year attorney or you're looking for new ways to grow your firm, these books should help you find fresh, new ideas. Reading about strategies to reinvigorate your brand or develop better processes can be an excellent first step toward greater business success.
If you're looking for more books to grow your law firm, check out our list of the essential books that every lawyer should read.
