Glanville Williams - Legal Career

Legal Career

Williams’ Textbook of Criminal Law (London: Steven & Sons, 1983) is on a United States list of the most cited legal books. The Textbook of Criminal Law, was arguably his best work, as he drew on 50 years of expertise in the area. Professor Williams was well in his 70s when he wrote the 1983 volume. It is a magisterial book written in Socratic style. Professor Williams published article after article in top referee journals, even when he was well in his eighties. He was arguably the greatest legal thinker of twentieth century. His groundbreaking Criminal Law: The General Part (Steven & Sons, London, 1961) is a classic that is still widely read and cited. Similarly, his Textbook of Criminal Law, originally done as a standard textbook for judges, barristers, professors and students, is a twentieth century classic.

Professor Williams’ influence in the highest courts was sustained and significant. One notable example is in R. v. Shivpuri A.C. 1, where the defendant imported harmless vegetable material akin to snuff believing he was importing drugs. The House of Lords held: “it was immaterial that the appellant was unsure of the exact nature of the substance in his possession in that in any event he believed that he was dealing with either heroin or cannabis the importation of which was prohibited.” Lord Bridge of Harwich stated: “I cannot conclude this opinion without disclosing that I have had the advantage, since the conclusion of the argument in this appeal, of reading an article by Professor Glanville Williams entitled “The Lords and Impossible Attempts, or Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?” Cambridge L.J. 33. The language in which he criticizes the decision in Anderton v. Ryan is not conspicuous for its moderation, but it would be foolish, on that account, not to recognize the force of the criticism and churlish not to acknowledge the assistance I have derived from it. …I would answer the certified question in the affirmative and dismiss the appeal.”

John Spencer, summed up his massive contribution in 1997: "Nowadays Williams is best known as a writer on criminal law, where his fame rests on four books, the influence of which has been enormous. First among these stands his Criminal Law: the General Part (1953), a 900-page text concerned, as he explained in the preface, "to search out the general rules of the criminal law, i.e. those applying to more than one crime". The Proof of Guilt (1955) is a comparative account of the rules by which criminal cases are tried in England and Wales, penetrating in its analysis of the merits of our system as well as its defects.

The Sanctity of Life and the Criminal Law (1958) examines the philosophical basis for laws against contraception, sterilisation, artificial insemination, abortion, suicide and euthanasia; when it appeared it was very controversial. The fourth book is his 1,000-page Textbook of Criminal Law (1978). This was a successful student textbook, and would be one still if he had ever managed to finish the third edition, on which he had been labouring for 14 years at the time of his death.

In The Sanctity of Life and the Criminal Law (1957), Williams criticized Christian, especially Roman Catholic, opposition to contraception, artificial insemination, sterilization, abortion, suicide and euthanasia.

His influential law book Learning the Law, now in its fourteenth edition, is a critically acclaimed and popular introductory text for legal undergraduates. Dubbed "Guide, Philosopher and Friend", the book is published by London: Sweet & Maxwell.

In fact, his range as a writer went far beyond the criminal law. Before turning to the criminal law, Williams had already written what are still the definitive books on a range of other important legal subjects: Liability for Animals (1939), The Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Acts (1943) (1945), Crown Proceedings (1948), Joint Obligations (1949), and Joint Torts and Contributory Negligence (1950). In 1947 he had edited Salmond's Jurisprudence.