Introduction to the English Legal System 2015-2016

by Partington, Martin

• ISBN13: 9780198729273
• ISBN10: 0198729278
• Edition: 10th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-06-23
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Are you new to studying law?
You've decided to study one of the most fascinating and intellectually stimulating subjects - law. Whether you're working towards a law degree or studying law as part of another subject, Introduction to the English Legal System is your ideal starting point. Right from the word go, Martin Partington enlivens and clarifies the legal system, and explains the central role it plays in society.

Do you want to think critically about the world in which you live?
What is the purpose of law? Whose interests does the law favour? Consolidating over 40 years' experience in the law, Martin Partington will challenge your assumptions about the English legal system, and encourage you to question how far it meets the demands placed upon it.

Are you aware of contemporary debates on the legal system?
Annually updated, Introduction to the English Legal System discusses all the latest debates and issues that will affect you during your studies and looking ahead to your career. Interview podcasts, discussion questions and more can be found on the accompanying author blog and Online Resource Centre.

Author Biography

Martin Partington, Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Fellow, University of Bristol

Martin Partington is Emeritus Professor of Law, Bristol University. For five years he was Law Commissioner and was retained by the Law Commission as a special consultant in order to complete its major programme of work on the reform of housing law until 2008. He was a special consultant to the Leggatt Review of Tribunals in 2001. He has been a member of numerous committees and bodies working within the English Legal System. In 2011-2012 he was a consultant to the Public Administration Select Committee of the House of Commons. He was appointed CBE in 2002, elected a Bencher of Middle Temple in 2006, and made an honorary Queens Counsel in 2008.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Aims, themes and structure
Law, society, and authority
2. Law and society: the purposes and functions of law
3. Law-making: authority and process
The institutional framework
4. Shaping the institutional framework: the role of government
5. The criminal justice system
6. The administrative justice system
7. The family justice system
8. The civil and commercial justice system
The delivery and funding of legal services
9. Delivering legal services: practitioners, adjudicators, and legal scholars
10. Funding legal services
Conclusion
11. Is the English legal system fit for purpose?