An enduring work on power and conflict

The Art of War, written over 2,500 years ago by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, remains one of the most enduring works on power and conflict. Despite its age and battlefield origins, its lessons are now standard fare for CEOs, negotiators, and increasingly, lawyers.

Why? Because law, like war, is about positioning, timing, leverage, and knowing when not to fight. Whether you’re a barrister or solicitor, The Art of War offers timeless guidance on strategy, restraint, and decision-making under pressure. It isn’t about aggression. It’s about controlling the facts, the terrain, and yourself.

Laying plans

Tzu teaches that battles are won long before the first arrow is loosed. Likewise, legal outcomes are shaped in the preparation phase. He outlines five key factors: moral law (client alignment), heaven (timing), earth (jurisdiction), the commander (the lawyer), and method (discipline). Misjudge any of these, file in the wrong court, ignore timing, lose client buy-in, and you’ve lost before you begin. Or as George Costanza put it: 'If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.'

Attack by stratagem

Tzu says the highest form of warfare is victory without fighting. For lawyers, that means resolving disputes without litigation. Some of the most decisive wins happen when someone walks away from a fight that didn’t need to happen. That’s not weakness. That’s clarity.

Weak points and strong

Tzu warns against attacking an opponent at their strongest. The smartest advocates don’t throw everything at the wall; they identify the structural fault line. Take Miller v Prime Minister (2019): the challenge wasn’t about the politics of Brexit, but about the legal limits of prorogation. The win came not from volume but from precision. That’s strategy.

Know more

Tzu ends with spies. For lawyers, that’s research. The lawyer who understands their judge, jurisdiction, and opponent will always have the upper hand. The Art of War remains a masterclass in winning wisely.

Rebecca Ward MBA is the director of Barristers’ Health (mental health and strategy for the legal profession)