author

John N. Cotterell

Best known for a practical guide to Latin legal maxims, this early-20th-century legal writer created a compact reference aimed at students preparing for law examinations. His work remains useful for readers curious about the language and traditions of legal study.

1 Audiobook

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 is known for A Collection of Latin Maxims and Phrases Literally Translated, a legal reference book published in the early 1900s. The book was written to help law students recognize and understand the Latin expressions commonly used in legal texts and examinations.

Contemporary editions identify him as a solicitor and notary public, which fits the book's practical, study-focused tone. Rather than writing a broad treatise, he assembled a concise handbook of terms and translations designed for everyday use by students and readers of law.

Reliable biographical details about his personal life were not easy to confirm from the sources available here, so this overview focuses on the work itself. What stands out is the book's clarity and purpose: it was made to turn a difficult corner of legal language into something more approachable.