The Legal System

The Legal System provides an overview of the institutions, personnel, and procedures that make up the legal system in England and Wales. Current changes are explained and critically evaluated, and the text explores a number of key competing themes and underlying tensions which run through the legal system. These are identified in the first chapter and then illustrated through concise exposition and practical examples in the following substantive chapters. Brief summaries at the beginning of each chapter enable students to assess the key points of study quickly and easily. Meanwhile further reading lists, useful web site links, and self-test questions at the end of chapters allow students to research the subject in more depth, and to test their understanding of this important area of study. This is an ideal introduction to the subject; the concise volume successfully combines key principles with thought-provoking questions, and points the way for further study and more in-depth analysis.

1. Introduction ; 2. The organization of the courts ; 3. Sources of law ; 4. The Human Rights Act 1998 ; 5. The legislative process ; 6. Statutory interpretation ; 7. Case law, precedent and judicial law-making ; 8. The civil justice process ; 9. The Woolf reforms to civil justice ; 10. Recent trends in the criminal justice system ; 11. Police powers ; 12. The prosecution process ; 13. The trial process ; 14. Criminal appeals and the post-appeal process ; 15. The provision of legal services ; 16. The structure and functions of the judiciary ; 17. Judicial appointments ; 18. Lay adjudication ; 19. Funding of legal services