William Hawkins (serjeant-at-law)

William Hawkins (c. 1673 – 1746) was an English legal writer and serjeant-at-law, best known for his Treatise of the Pleas of the Crown.

Hawkins was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1696 and became a serjeant-at-law in 1723. His Treatise of the Pleas of the Crown, first published between 1716 and 1721, became a standard reference work on criminal law for both practitioners and judges. It was highly influential in the development of English and American criminal jurisprudence and remained a leading authority for many years. The work addressed a wide range of offences and legal principles, consolidating and systematizing existing common law precedent and statute.

Hawkins also served as Member of Parliament for Bramber from 1722 to 1727.

His lasting contribution to legal history is undoubtedly his Treatise of the Pleas of the Crown, which significantly shaped the understanding and application of criminal law.