The English Legal System 2009-2010 by Gary Slapper and David Kelly

ITS BECAUSE LAW GOVERNS LIFE!
HERE IS ESSENTIAL READING FOR STUDENTS OF LAW AND PRACTITIONERS TOO

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

If you are a student of law at whatever level, Slapper & Kellys new edition of The English Legal System is an essential work of reference, which can only make your studies easier.

The Tenth Edition in 15 chapters and about 650 pages, the authors create a clear and accessible work aimed at imparting a good understanding of the law, its institutions and processes. They point out what many of us only dimly realize, that our law permeates into every cell of social life, governing everything from food and drink and the air we breathe, to travel, family relationships, sexuality and virtually everything else: science, employment, business, education, health and of course, conflicts, from neighbour disputes to wars. The list is by no means exhaustive as students will well know.

Since the first edition we reviewed in 1994, The English Legal System has successfully cut through the complexities of the subject, setting the law and system in a social context. Each new edition published since then has been thoroughly updated to take into account new developments within the English legal system of common law reasoning.

The 2009-2010 title incorporates material on important changes to: the criminal justice system; statutory interpretation; judges; changes in the legal professions, and in the funding of legal services. The new courts are described very well here, and the rules of civil procedure with revised chapters on criminal procedure underpin recent reforms to our system.

Also incorporated are proposals for changes to human rights law, and major common law decisions from 2008 in the Court of Appeal, the House of Lords and from the European Court of Human Rights. Of particular relevance at present is the chapter on arbitration, tribunal adjudication and alternative dispute resolution so popular with the current senior judiciary.

Much thought has gone into creating a structure for the book that makes it convenient to refer to and easy to use one of the most easily accessible legal texts we have yet encountered. As if all this werent enough, there is a companion website where you can access skill-led student resources online- a great support unit for the 21st century learner!

So, if youre a student, there are online skills resources and guidance on best practice, interactive exercises and activities, plus a glossary and flashcards for those interminably puzzling terms. And to help you determine how youd fare on multiple choice exams there is a bank of Multiple Choice Questions to test your knowledge - BVC students please note!

If you need more revision help, you can access Professor Slappers Top 10 Revision Tips podcast and practice with sample exam questions complete with model answer structures. To achieve even more outstanding results via further research, (which means hard work) there are weblinks and recommendations for further reading.

And if youre a tutor -- theres a free suite of exclusive teaching resources (for your own lecture presentations) which, we hasten to add, is password protected for your eyes only.

All in all, what you have here is a resource-base in a book. Small wonder, the The English Legal System has always been -- and continues to be in its 10th edition -- a favourite with learners and lecturers alike and an extremely useful reference for practitioners where law governs life for all of us.

ISBN: 978-0-415-48096-3

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