This volume contributes to the latest studies in legal discourse studies by presenting a descriptive and interpretive analysis of English legal genres used in academic and professional writing contexts. The results of corpora-driven data are discussed through (meta)discourse, genre and other theoretical perspectives, and offer insights into the ways the writers' discursive practices and meanings shape their membership of the legal community and discipline. The volume attempts to show these ideas in systematic and clear language, and is designed for native and non-native readers whether involved in English applied linguistic research or disciplinary English writing instruction.

The history underlying and informing the Australian legal system is a uniquely interesting amalgam of English, American and local developments. It is often poorly understood - not least because there are no modern counterparts to this volume and its companion on commercial law. But, as Holmes long ago pointed out, in order to know what the law is we must first know what it has been. This volume not only discharges that function, informing its readers clearly and lucidly, but it also demonstrates how Australian legal history may be examined from a range of perspectives, leading to a deeper and richer understanding. This first volume of 15 essays, by distinguished judges and practitioners, sets the very highest standards of analysis and scholarship. There are incisive assessments of key figures such as Sir Owen Dixon and Justice Joseph Story (by Justices Hayne and Allsop respectively), and of key developments such as the establishment of an Australian land law, the reception of the common law, the growth to nationhood, the changing role of precedent, and the separation of powers. There are essays on the very early influences on Australian law from the leading early texts (Glanvill and Bracton), from early English statutes and from Roman law. There are essays on the growth of equity, and even a modern dialogue (in accordance with an ancient tradition) on the Judicature legislation. And there are accounts of legal procedure, which is ultimately the source of much substantive law, and of the jurisprudential figures who have sought to analyse law. The introductory essay by Justin Gleeson and James Watson provides an overview of the volume, as well as being a powerful argument for why an understanding of legal history is not optional but essential. Three of the authors have been appointed to judicial office since preparing these essays, and another has been made Solicitor-General of Australia. All have made distinguished contributions, and their essays will bear reading and re-reading, for all Australian lawyers looking for a deep understanding of how the Australian legal system operates.

Misplaced Traditions is a special issue (Volume 16 No 1) of the journal Law in Context. The contents are listed below.

Pre-trial detention refers to the period when a person, after being arrested, is detained so as to determine the nature of the offences and the characterization of the charges. This notion is part and parcel of the legal proceedings of a criminal investigation and aims at striking a fragile balance between protecting the State and respecting individual freedoms. Lots of examples can be quoted to illustrate the various pre-trial detention modalities in common law and civil law traditions, including the duration of custody; custody rights; right to silence; right to the presence of a lawyer; modalities and control of pre-trial detention; and procedures in case of wrongful detention.This book makes an important contribution to the newly-researched topic of pre-trial detention from a theoretical and empirical point of view. Papers alternatively consider various issues: they analyse the philosophical principles and policies underlying pre-trial detention and look at the different forms it takes according to several countries; on a more technical and pragmatic level, they raise the question of the use of an appropriate terminology and the problem of translation that may arise from the differences between the studied legal systems. Finally, they consider the checks and balances mechanisms put in place to limit the negative effects of the measures restricting liberty.This volume contains a selection of contributions by academics specialized in law and comparative criminal procedure, political science, history, sociology, linguistics, and legal translation, and offers a comparative analysis of countries with differing legal traditions.

In 2000, the NSW Bar Association established an annual lecture in honour of Sir Maurice Byers Kt CBE QC, Commonwealth Solicitor-General 1973-1983; this volume contains the first 12 lectures, 2000-2012. Each lecture is introduced by Justices Nye Perram and Rachel Pepper who discuss the background to the lecture and developments which have taken place since it was delivered. In addition, there is a short collection of thoughts by Sir Maurice himself together with some further pieces.

It is a widely held belief today that there are too many lawsuits, too many lawyers, too much law. As readers of this engaging and provocative essay will discover, the evidence for a "litigation explosion" is actually quite ambiguous. But the American legal profession has become extremely large, and it seems clear that the scope and reach of legal process have indeed increased greatly. How can we best understand these changes? Lawrence Friedman focuses on transformations in American legal culture that is, people's beliefs and expectations with regard to law. In the early nineteenth century, people were accustomed to facing sudden disasters (disease, accidents, joblessness) without the protection of social and private insurance. The uncertainty of life and the unavailability of compensation for loss were mirrored in a culture of low legal expectations. Medical, technical, and social developments during our own century have created a very different set of expectations about life, again reflected in our legal culture. Friedman argues that we are moving toward a general expectation of total justice, of recompense for all injuries and losses that are not the victim's fault. And the expansion of legal rights and protections in turn creates fresh expectations, a cycle of demand and response. This timely and important book articulates clearly, and in nontechnical language, the recent changes that many have sensed in the American legal system but that few have discussed in so powerful and sensible a way."

This is a collection of essays ranging from Pufendorf, Sociality and the Modern State by Craig L. Carr and Michael Seidler, to Conscience and Reason: The Natural Law Theory of Jean Barbeyrac by Tim Hochstrasser.

Why do some people not hesitate to call the police to quiet a barking dog in the middle of the night, while others accept the pain and losses associated with defective products, unsuccesful surgery, and discrimination? Patricia Ewick and Susan Silbey collected accounts of the law from more than four hundred people of diverse backgrounds in order to explore the different ways that people use and experience it. Their fascinating and original study identifies three common narratives of law that are captured in the stories people tell.
One narrative is based on an idea of the law as magisterial and remote. Another views the law as a game with rules that can be manipulated to one's advantage. A third narrative describes the law as an arbitrary power that is actively resisted. Drawing on these extensive case studies, Ewick and Silbey present individual experiences interwoven with an analysis that charts a coherent and compelling theory of legality. A groundbreaking study of law and narrative, "The Common Place of Law" depicts the institution as it is lived: strange and familiar, imperfect and ordinary, and at the center of daily life.

A new order is being forged in Africa. States across the continent are working, fighting, and negotiating in an effort to construct liberal societies and effective government. Organized around the life of Francis L. Nyalali, who served as Chief Justice of Tanzania from 1976 through 1999, Building the Rule of Law shows how judges negotiate new institutional relationships. Through the trials and disappointments of Frances Nyalali, we learn the intricate difficulty of erecting an independent judicial system. But in his success and the success of his homeland, we see the crucial role of justice in an effective democracy.

Without our consent and often without our knowledge, the government can constantly monitor many of our daily activities, using closed circuit TV, global positioning systems, and a wide array of other sophisticated technologies. With just a few keystrokes, records containing our financial information, phone and e-mail logs, and sometimes even our medical histories can be readily accessed by law enforcement officials. As Christopher Slobogin explains in "Privacy at Risk," these intrusive acts of surveillance are subject to very little regulation.
Applying the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures, Slobogin argues that courts should prod legislatures into enacting more meaningful protection against government overreaching. In setting forth a comprehensive framework meant to preserve rights guaranteed by the Constitution without compromising the government's ability to investigate criminal acts, Slobogin offers a balanced regulatory regime that should intrigue everyone concerned about privacy rights in the digital age.