It has long been recognized that court trials in the common law system, both criminal and civil, operate around pairs of competing narratives told by opposing advocates. In recent years, however, it has increasingly been argued that narrative flows in many directions and through every form of legal theory and practice. Interest in the part played by metaphor in the law, including metaphors for the law, and for many standard concepts in legal practice, has also been strong, though research under the metaphor banner has been much more fragmentary. In this book, for the first time, a distinguished group of legal scholars, collaborating with specialists from cognitive theory, journalism, rhetoric, social psychology, criminology, and legal activism, explore how narrative and metaphor are both vital to the legal process. Together, they examine topics including concepts of law, legal persuasion, human rights law, gender in the law, innovations in legal thinking, legal activism, creative work around the law, and public debate around crime and punishment.

Legal Practice Technology and Law: Cases and Materials familiarizes readers with American Bar Association amended Model Rule 1.1 and added comment 8 in order to explain the risks of misusing technology in legal practice. The book teaches law students, as well as both newly minted and seasoned attorneys, how to avoid mistakes and the concomitant risk of suspension or disbarment. Readers learn the critical importance of staying current with the law and its practice regarding all legal-practice technologies. This casebook discusses common-law and statutory rules that state and federal courts employ to resolve law-office-technology disputes, particularly the legal and/or ethical actions of solo and small-firm attorneys against clients, allegedly third-party victims, state disciplinary boards, and the designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and providers of technological goods and services. Three important questions will be answered. Will virtual and technologically rich legal practices replace traditional brick-and-mortar law practices? What are the benefits and risks of solo practitioners' accelerated use of and reliance on law-practice technology? Can existing ethical rules be applied to resolve virtual-practice or law-office technology disputes? Thoroughly researched and expertly written, Legal Practice Technology and Law is ideal for courses that address the topic.

Innovation in legal services remains a hot topic, yet technology adoption does not always keep up with the hype. While there is a plethora of academic and professional research about the area, there is a lack of guidance on the practicalities of helping professionals actually get innovation right. This book focuses on implementing innovation and the innovation process in a law firm, from pilot to adoption and everything in between (whether that be within the law firm itself or undertaken by the law firm’s clients). Divided into four parts to reflect the innovation lifecycle of examine, explore, develop and reflect, this book is a practical guide for those starting or doing innovation in law firms. Students keen to know how innovation is implemented in practice will also find it useful. Innovation in Law Firms is packed with insight from the authors who lead the award-winning innovation team at Weightmans, and who have experience of starting innovation from scratch, as well as viewpoints ranging from the strategic, board-level perspective to the on-the-ground experience of actually doing innovation projects. It is practical rather than theoretical in style and aims to fill some of the adoption gap by exploring the highs and lows of innovating in law firms, and outlining practical steps that can be taken to mitigate some of the potential pitfalls. Whether at the start or part way through an innovation journey, this book allows readers to dip in and out providing guidance on specific issues as they arise as part of the innovation lifecycle.

This text deals with the basic concepts of the law and explains the operation of the law and the administration of justice. It features practical exercises at the end of each chapter to help the student develop the ability to analyse information and apply knowledge. Another feature is the appendixes in which step-by-step explanations are given of how to research and apply primary sources of the law such as statutes and decisions in court.