Did you know that Sir William Blackstone was the first person to advocate the use of common law in England and Wales? He lectured the public on the benefits of common law and authored the first book on common law titled "Commentaries on the Laws of England". The Commentaries are regarded as the leading work on the development of English law and played a critical role in developing the American legal system. We honour the incredible legacy of Sir William Blackstone by adopting his name for our institution. Common law is now the predominant legal system around 40 countries in the modern world.