Details
- An introductory text for those new to studying the English legal system, enabling readers to gain an understanding of the purposes and functions of the law, and the importance of law in the ordering of society
- Provides essential background information about how law is created and the wide variety of contexts in which it is practised
- Encourages students to question the legal system and to consider whether it is fit for purpose, thereby helping to develop their critical and analytical skills
- Commentary boxes and self-test questions draw out the key points for further analysis and encourage students to reflect upon their reading
- Ideal for law and law-related courses that do not offer formal instruction on the legal system, but where students have to acquire foundation knowledge
- To ensure students are aware of recent developments, and to test and reinforce their learning, the Online Resource Centre provides a wide range of supporting features including multiple choice questions for self-assessment, and an author blog with podcasts
- For lecturers, the Online Resource Centre offers time-saving additions when teaching from the book, including PowerPoint presentations with lecture notes, and a fully customizable test bank of multiple choice questions
New to this edition
- Introduction to the English Legal System publishes annually to ensure it is fully up-to-date for each academic year
- The new edition includes consideration of the changes to the organisation of the legal profession; modifications to legal education and professional formation; reform of Parliament and electoral boundaries; new approaches to sentencing; reforms to police accountability; developments in the family justice system; changes to litigation funding; and reforms to legal aid
- The author has carefully rewritten the first chapter, and it now provides an even clearer and more accessible introduction to the book
Are you new to the study of law?
You've decided to study one of the most fascinating 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 the ideal starting point. Right from the word go, it will enliven and bring clarity to the law, and the important role it plays in society.
...and do you want to engage with contemporary debates?
Distilling over 30 years' experience in the law, Martin Partington challenges your assumptions about the English legal system, and encourages you to question how far it meets the demands placed upon it. Easy to read and incorporating numerous examples throughout, this concise introduction brings law and the legal system to life.
This title is accompanied by an innovative Online Resource Centre providing a wide range of resources:
For students:
* Author blog with podcasts
* Web links
* Knowledge-testing multiple choice questions
* Discussion questions
* Flashcard glossary
* Crosswords
For lecturers:
* Test bank of multiple choice questions with answers and feedback
* Customizable PowerPoint presentations
* Diagrams from the book in electronic format
Readership: Undergraduate law students taking a compulsory English legal system course in the first year, and college students studying law at A-level. Students on courses with a legal component, eg. business studies; citizenship studies.
Introduction
1: 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: The funding of legal services
Conclusion
11: Is the legal system fit for purpose?
Martin Partington, Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, and a qualified Barrister
Martin Partington is Emeritus Professor of Law, Bristol University. A barrister, he is a door tenant at Arden Chambers, London. For 5 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. He was appointed CBE in 2002, and made an honorary Queens Counsel in 2008.
Review(s) from previous edition
"Martin Partington has succeeded admirably in providing a text which both explains things clearly, and encourages the reader to think about the enormous changes currently affecting the legal system. He has been able to draw on his experience not only as a teacher of law, but also as a law reformer and contributor to the work of many important committees. - Lord Philips of Worth Matravers
"The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the basic role and workings of the English legal system. It provides a detailed explanation of the key legal institutions in a logical and easy to follow structure." - Laurence Thomas, Law Student, Durham University
