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Clare Cowling examines what happens to the records created by solicitors, barristers, legal organisations and other private bodies when they are no longer needed for daily business. The book follows the Legal Records at Risk project, explaining why these materials matter to legal history and how valuable evidence can disappear through organisational change, uncertain ownership or inadequate arrangements for preservation.
Its chapters describe the planning of the project, the identification of vulnerable collections and work with stakeholders. Seminars and case studies reveal the practical difficulties facing both record creators and collecting institutions. Questions of confidentiality, access, retention and professional responsibility accompany the broader discussion of who should preserve a legal heritage that extends beyond official court records.
The final sections set out findings and possible solutions, including proposals for a coordinated national strategy. Supporting documents and examples make the volume useful to archivists, records managers, legal practitioners and researchers. It combines a record of a specific preservation project with an account of the choices that determine what future generations will be able to learn about legal practice.