Law and Modern Society

How and why is so much new law made? By what right does a judge order that someone be sent to jail? Why is so much of the law so contentious, and why should we, the people, accept the laws made by those who claim the right to govern us? In this lucid, stimulating, and completely updated survey, P. S. Atiyah introduces the reader to a number of fundamental issues about English law, the legal profession, and the adjudicative process. This new edition gives greater emphasis to the effect of membership of the European Community on English law, and gives an expanded account of the European Convention on Human Rights with its subsequent effects on our laws. Atiyah also looks at the recent controversy over the independence of the judiciary, problems arising from the cost of legal services and legal aid, and the many worrying miscarriages of justice which have tainted the legal system in the past decade.