A handy primer on the little grey cells

This book could also be titled ‘Brain Science for Dummies’. And that makes it extremely useful for the average lawyer, as most of us, while we might be able to tell our metacarpals from our metatarsals, are on shakier ground when it comes to understanding the workings of the mind.

A relatively short guide split into 10 chapters, this handy primer talks us through the basic structures and functions of the brain in a clear and interesting way. The book avoids too much jargon and is always sure to tie these explanations in with how they may influence the decisions that lawyers have to make with clients who may have a brain injury.

It does not flinch from pointing out that experts can make mistakes and may overestimate their own knowledge of the brain. There is helpful guidance on how to interpret medical evidence, but also emphasis on the limits of what is known about how the brain works, and that neuroscience is constantly evolving.

A few common misconceptions are debunked as well. The functions of the brain are a lot more inter-connected than some popular science and media reporting suggests. Ongoing developments in analysing the brain are discussed, and the suggestion that MRIs will be a lot quicker and simpler will no doubt be welcome to many a practitioner.

This is a US publication and therefore it refers to US or international case law and legislation. These references are minimal though and the book is still extremely useful for UK lawyers.  

That said, if there were a UK edition of the book that was tweaked to replace the US references with UK ones then that would be preferable. I would also have appreciated a few more diagrams to complement some of the descriptions of the brain’s structure.

Overall, I found this to be a very helpful guide.

Lee Wall is an associate solicitor at Irvings Law in Liverpool