author

John N. Cotterell

Best known for a compact guide to Latin legal maxims, this early 20th-century writer made traditional legal phrases more approachable for students preparing for examinations. His work remains a useful snapshot of the language and habits of legal study in that period.

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A collection of Latin maxims and phrases literally translated Intended for the use of students for all legal examinations

A collection of Latin maxims and phrases literally translated Intended for the use of students for all legal examinations

by John N. Cotterell

About the author

John N. Cotterell, also identified in library records as John Nicholas Cotterell, is known for A Collection of Latin Maxims and Phrases Literally Translated. The book was published in 1913 and was intended for students preparing for legal examinations.

The book itself presents him as a solicitor and notary public, and its preface explains that he compiled the volume from his own experience studying law. Rather than writing a broad legal treatise, Cotterell focused on a practical reference book: a clear list of commonly used Latin maxims with literal translations and brief explanations.

Little biographical detail about his personal life was readily confirmed from reliable sources available here. Even so, his surviving work shows a writer with a practical aim—to help law students understand the classical phrases that still shaped legal education and legal writing in his time.