Parry & Kerridge: The Law of Succession

Author: Roger Kerridge

Price: £33.95

Edition: 12th Edition (March 2009)

ISBN: 978-0-421-95930-9

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Probate and succession law is notoriously difficult to understand.  This may be, in part, because of the lack of study at undergraduate level.  Parry & Kerridge: The Law of Succession tries to plug this knowledge gap by aiming to prove an accessible and authoritative guide to the law: it easily achieves these aims.

For many years, Parry & Kerridge: The Law of Succession has earned a reputation as the leading text on succession law.  It continues to be authored by Roger Kerridge, who has tirelessly updated it to include the impact of the latest legislative provisions like the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Family Provision (Intestate Succession) Order 2009 and recent case-law including Sherrington v Sherrington [2005] EWCA Civ 326 and Banks v National Westminster Bank plc [2005] EWHC 3479.  It also maintains some of the excellent features from earlier editions including detailed footnotes: these provide an ideal starting point for further research.

Parry & Kerridge: The Law of Succession is impressively written in an engaging and thought-provoking way.  It has a number of impressive features including, in chapter nine, a sample will: this really puts the material in context.  The remaining part of the chapter explains a will's content and why certain provisions are included.  This approach is invaluable for practitioners or lawyers on courses like the LPC or BVC.  The precedent is also (like the remainder of the text), fairly free of legalese making largely accessible to even the most inexperienced lawyer: this is extremely welcome with many probate and succession documents often littered with unnecessarily formal and legal phrases.

Writing a clear and accessible text on probate and succession law is some task.  Fortunately, Roger Kerridge builds upon the excellent tradition of earlier editions of Parry & Kerridge: The Law of Succession meaning he successfully completes this task.  This means that, for anyone studying or practising this area of law, there is simply no better text for its size and price.  It covers the main topics and stimulates further consideration of what is surprisingly an interesting area of law.  Kerridge should therefore be applauded and it is hoped he continues to author this text for years to come.

Reviewed on 23 August 2009

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