What is a barrister’s notebook? That is what I found myself wondering when I recently read a PD James mystery set in the colorfully traditional world of the London criminal court system. (See Crown Court, Old Bailey and Inns of Court for more background.) I noticed a mention of a certain type of blue notebook used by barristers to keep records about their cases. Notebooks in traditional formats that are specific to certain professions always fascinate me, so I had to learn more!

As an introduction, here’s a passage from a memoir of a law student who participated in a special program that allowed her to spend a year working with and learning from a barrister:

At 4 Pump Court, I also participated in a few hearings and meetings with Tony Temple QC, a former head of Chambers and tenacious advocate. His first words of advice to me before
departing for an arbitration at which I was to merely observe, was to go and get my own “blue book” from the stationary cupboard. A “blue book” is a unique feature of barristers, consisting of lined or blank sheets bound in a stiff, light blue cover. It resembled a North American child’s school notebook, yet no barrister worth his or her salt was ever seen without one. He turned to me and said: “Lisa, even if you are not important at a hearing, you should always look as though you are”. The blue book remained at my side for the rest of my year.

From “It is a Long Way to Middle Temple or How I spent my year in London” By Lisa Tomas, Fox Scholar 2002-3

Further online research led to these images of notebooks referred to either as barrister’s notebooks or counsel’s notebooks:

The barrister’s notebooks above all seem to be A4 sized, staple bound with 96 pages. They are usually sold in packs of 5 or 10, with a per-book cost of a couple of dollars or less, though the Irish red/white/blue ones seem to be €4 each. As Lisa Tomas notes, they are very similar to the exercise books I remember using in school, which you can still buy in various incarnations, though those were usually smaller at 7 x 8.5″. I also noticed a hardcover barrister’s notebook which is actually made by the LogBookStore division of Book Factory, whose pocket size field notebooks I reviewed years ago:

The LogBookStore page offers quite a few options for different page layouts. Since they are US-based, I couldn’t help wondering if lawyers in the US also use these, or if they sell them all overseas.

I could see the staple-bound barrister’s notebooks like these being quite handy for people who like to keep a separate notebook for each project. The A4 size is good for when you want to tuck in meeting handouts (even if it’s not an exact match for those of us used to US paper size standards). And those Irish ones in particular have a very cool retro look! I’m going to be in Dublin in a few weeks and may have to look for office supply shops near the courthouses…