The history or legal history of law is an examination of how laws have developed and why they have changed over time. Legal history works within the larger context of socio-political history and is closely associated with the evolution of civilisations. It records the development of laws by civilizations such as ancient Persia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome and Greece and records legal developments from these periods in legal writings. The primary focus of the history of law in this period was the codification of legal rules and precedents set by previous courts. This history has also shown a marked change in the types of laws that were passed over time, with some legal texts being more flexible than others.The first legal historians were members of the bar and were primarily interested in proving cases in court, compiling legal records and acting as counsellors to juries. Modern scholarship has made legal history much more broad in its scope and legal scholars have examined a much wider range of issues in recent times. As well as looking at courts and their practices, legal historians have looked at broader topics such as property rights, corporate law, family law, criminal law and labour law.
They have also examined legal developments around the world, such as the introduction of slavery in Australia and the Jim Croce case which made history renowned for the issue of race. Much of this research has been made possible through the work of legal historians who have compiled resources and written extensively on many different areas of legal study.Scholarship by legal historians has also made literature on history and law more popular with students studying law. Writing about law, and the evolution of legal systems over the country, enables students to gain a better understanding of the founding fathers and the changes that occurred in legal systems over time. Many books have been written about legal matters and have led to major works such as Black's Law Dictionary and The Federalist Papers being published all over the world. This has helped law students to learn about some of the key elements of law and, by doing so, allow them to develop an awareness of why certain decisions were made and how those decisions can be used in the future.In addition to writing about case law, scholars of legal studies have also produced hundreds of essays, articles and reviews on legal cases from all over the world. These documents have helped to build a body of case law around the US that scholars and other students have used to build their understanding of what legal systems across the globe look like. These cases have led scholars to look at legal systems differently and produce different interpretations of legal practices. This is important since legal practices can vary widely between countries and legal scholars need to be aware of differences so they can produce pieces of case law that are as unique as their countries.
Students looking to apply for a scholarship for legal history must be prepared to fill out and present a comprehensive application form. Filling out the form completely, should be done before any scholarship money is ever awarded because the essay questionnaires that will be sent to various funding bodies require detailed information. The more a student knows about the legal aspects of his or her chosen field, the more likely they will be able to qualify for a scholarship. One of the most common ways to get scholarship money for legal history is through the Combination Law School Scholarship program. Every year, thousands of students are offered scholarships to pursue a legal career in either the law schools of the nation or in specific institutions around the world.Other types of scholarship awards available through the Combination Law School Scholarship program include the Legal History Student Award, the George Washington Law School Scholarship and the John Locke Law Student Award. Each of these awardees has been named as having strong points among those reviewing their applications. For those who are applying for a scholarship based in the field of law, there are dozens of books and articles written on every topic that could possibly cover the legal practices and history. There are also several popular television shows on the legal circuit, including "pard" and "The Shield."