The 1982 U. S. Supreme Court case of Plyler v. Doe, which made it possible for undocumented children to enroll in Texas public schools, was a watershed moment for immigrant rights in the United States. The Court struck down both a state statute denying funding for education to undocumented children and a municipal school district's attempt to charge an annual $1,000 tuition fee for each undocumented student to compensate for the lost state funding. Yet while this case has not returned to the Supreme Court, it is frequently contested at the state and local level. In No Undocumented Child Left Behind, Michael A. Olivas tells a fascinating history of the landmark case, examining how, 30 years later, Plyler v. Doe continues to suffer from implementation issues and requires additional litigation and vigilance to enforce the ruling. He takes a comprehensive look at the legal regime it established regarding the education of undocumented school children, moves up through its implementation, including direct and indirect attacks on it, and closes with the ongoing, highly charged debates over the Development, Relief, and Education for Minors (DREAM) Act, which aims to give conditional citizenship to undocumented college students who graduated from US high schools and have been in the country for at least five years. Listen to Michael Olivas on WYPF 88.1 FM, as he takes a look back 30 years to the Supreme Court case that made it possible for undocumented children to enroll in public schools and the highly-charged political and legal battles that have ensued.

Preventing Medical Malpractice and Compensating Victimised Patients in China is the first book in English on the legal remedies for preventing medical errors and compensating victims of medical malpractice in China from an economic and legal perspective. Specifically, those legal remedies include tort liability, regulation, insurance and social security. The new medical liability regime based on the Tort Liability Law 2009 currently provides the primary legal remedy against medical malpractice. However, the role of alternative regimes in medical quality assurance and victim compensation should not be ignored. This book:- gives a full description of all the current legal remedies for the prevention of medical malpractice and compensation for iatrogenic injuries in China, in order to see how those different legal instruments interact with and impact on one another.- examines how those legal remedies work in practice and what impact they have on society, based on an extensive analysis of court decisions, several semi-structured interviews, and a review of the available empirical literature.- summarises the law and economics studies on medical malpractice and applies economic theories to the legal remedies in China, in order to put forward policy recommendations to China.The ultimate conclusion of this work is that although many aspects of the legal remedies in China are consistent with the economic model of accident law as far as the prevention of medical malpractice is concerned, they still need great improvement when it comes to compensation for iatrogenic injuries.Overall, this book provides a thorough examination and evaluation of the legal remedies for medical malpractice in China, especially taking into account the latest developments in economic theories and new empirical findings. Hence, it will be of interest to legal and economic scholars, students, lawyers, insurers and policy makers responsible for ensuring the quality of medical care.

Circumcision affects 15.3 million children and young adults annually. In terms of gender, 13.3 million boys and 2 million girls are subjected to the involuntary removal of part or all of their external sexual organs every year. The problem of female circumcision has been addressed on an international level, but male circumcision remains a controversial subject that many academics have been reluctant to examine. Circumcision is tolerated today because it has been practiced for millennia by a small but vocal minority of religious and ethnic groups, however, when the practice is examined through the lens of modern legal, ethical, and human rights advancements, no place remains in civilized society for this body-altering ritual. In Genital Autonomy: Protecting Personal Choice, international experts address various types of genital modifications, the impact of these harmful traditional practices on the child, on human rights, and on the development of the concept of bodily integrity. The papers presented in this volume address these topics from a variety of angles. They question and dissects the true motivations of the doctors, witch doctors, and "holy men" who promote and profit from circumcision.

If a pregnant woman refuses medical treatment needed by the fetus - for instance for religious reasons - or conducts some aspect of her life in a way which risks fetal harm, there may arise an instance of "maternal-fetal conflict". This is an unfortunate term, since pregant women are generally renowned for their self-sacrificing behaviour, but it may well reflect the reality of certain maternal choices and actions. Should a pregnant woman have the legal right to refuse medical treatment needed by the fetus, or should she owe it a legal duty of care which precludes her acting in ways which may harm it? Does the debate hinge simply upon the appropriateness, or otherwise, of legally compelling presumed moral obligations, or is it more complex than this? Indeed, what are a pregnant woman't moral obligations towards her fetus? In England and in some US states, courts have held that a pregnant woman has the right to refuse medical treatment needed by the fetus. In similar fashion, the idea of a general maternal legal duty of care toward the fetus has been rejected, most recently in Canada. The cases, however, leave the impression of an uncomfortable split between the ethics and the law, as if the problem were entirely one of not legally enforcing presumed moral duties. The effect is both puzzling and polarising: puzzling in that the cases leave unanswered - as largely they must - the huge question of a pregnant woman's moral rights and duties; polarising in that the cases leave troubling tensions about a pregnant woman's rights in the face of fetal harm or death. The tendency is to deny these by ever more strongly asserting a woman's rights. In turn this encourages a reaction in favour of fetal rights, one which is unlikely to attend to a woman's interests and difficulties in pregnancy. This could have serious legal repercussions for various instances of maternal-fetal conflict, including in those US states or other jurisdictions which have yet to address these issues. It might also increase the pressures on the issue of abortion. This book, which seeks a way between these polarised positions, tries to explain and justify a woman's moral and legal rights in pregnancy and, at the same time, to explore the extent of her moral duties toward the fetus. The aim is to resolve, as far as possible, the ethical, legal and social tensions which undoubtedly surround this area. Innovatively in work on this issue (and unusually in the field of medical law and ethics) the author adopts a joint philosophical and legal approach directed to issues both of principle and policy, revealing strong conceptual links between the ethics and the law. In addition to an ethical exploration of the maternal-fetal relationship, the author explores and analyses the relevant English, American, Canadian (and sometimes Australian) arguments from the law of treatment refusal, abortion, tort and rescue, as well as relevant jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights. This important book breaks new ground and will be of great interest to academics in law and philosophy, lawyers, health professionals, policy-makers and students of medical law and ethics. "It is rare to find a book which so skilfully combines legal and moral analysis of a controversial medical issue. Rosamund Scott has produced what is undoubtedly one of the finest pieces of medico-legal writing of recent years. This is a clever, human and immensely readable work." Alexander McCall Smith, Professor of Medical Law, University of Edinburgh "This book concerns one of the most personally agonizing and morally complex issues in medical ethics. It is a work of great philosophical sophistication, combining breadth of vision with acute sensitivity to the nuances of women's experiences. It will soon become the standard work in philosophical, legal and political debate on maternal-fetal conflicts." Roger Crisp, Uehiro Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy, St Anne's College, Oxford

This book offers the first full examination of the legal role of public guardianship in 25 years, comparing current conditions to those when the last study was published in 1981. Public Guardianship: In the Best Interests of Incapacitated People? is written to advance public understanding of what happens to disabled and elderly adults when no family member or friend is available to be a caregiver or guardian should it become necessary. It is the first major study on this critically important issue since 1981. Conducted by experts in gerontology, social work, public policy, and public health, it finds that, although progress has been made, guardianship programs around the country still are hampered by limited staff and resources. Public Guardianship analyzes the full range of state statutes governing guardianship, including guardian eligibility, investigation, due process, rights, powers, costs, and monitoring. The authors report their case studies of public guardianship programs, marshaling and comparing field data from their surveys of stakeholders in ten states. The book concludes with a variety of recommendations for improving guardianship programs, including the authors' Model Public Guardian Act. Includes case studies on public guardianship programs in ten different states Offers bibliographic listings of works cited in the text Presents tables and charts showing important data

In this book, scholars with different disciplinary and national backgrounds argue for possible answers and analyse case studies on current issues of governance in biomedical research. These issues comprise among others the research-care distinction, risk evaluation in early human trials, handling of incidental findings, nocebo effects, cluster randomized trials, publication bias, or consent in biobank research. This book demonstrates how new technologies and research possibilities multiply or intensify already known governance challenges, leaving room for ethical analysis and complex moral choices. Clinical researchers, research ethics committee members and research ethicists have all to deal with such challenges on a daily basis. While general reflection on core concepts of research ethics is seldom pointless, those confronted with hard moral choices do need more practical and contextualized reflection on the said issues. This book particularly provides such contextualized reflections and aims to inform all those who study, conduct, regulate, fund, or participate in biomedical research.

Who enjoys statutory preferred creditor status? What justifications exist for jurisdictions to maintain statutes that favour 'priority' creditors over other creditors and contributories? This book examines preferential debts derived from specific legislative provisions applying to corporate insolvency. In exploring the concept of preferential treatment, Statutory Priorities in Corporate Insolvency Law includes chapters that provide a doctrinal, theoretical and historical analysis of who enjoys preferred creditor status. As well as examining the traditional major categories of priorities, this work also identifies potential new categories for priority status such as environmental clean-up costs, international creditors, tort claimants and consumers among other non-consensual creditors. While the study focuses on Australian corporate insolvency law, where appropriate, comparisons are made with other common law jurisdictions, particularly the UK, Canada, New Zealand and the US.

Million of people around the Asia Pacific region are suffering from the twin effects of globalization and exclusionary nationality laws. Some are migrant workers without rights in host countries; some are indigenous peoples who are not accorded their full rights in their own countries. Yet others are refugees escaping from regimes that have no respect for human rights. This collection of essays discusses the ways in which citizenship laws in the region might be made consistent with human dignity. It considers the connectedness of national belonging and citizenship in East and Southeast Asian and Pacific states including Australia the impact of mass migration, cultural homogenization and other effects of globalization on notions of citizenship and possibilities of commitment to a transnational democratic citizenship that respects cultural difference.;This work is intended for use by departments of politics, international relations, economics (courses in international trade, globalization, labour economics), Asian studies, sociology (courses in legal and citizenship studies), and law.

Participatory democracy has become a buzzword in current discussions about how to democratize the EU. European institutions associate it with civil society involvement in European governance and claim that it might reduce its so-called democratic deficit. The Treaty of Lisbon formalizes this promise by enacting a new Article 11 TEU specifically dedicated to participatory democracy as a founding principle of the EU legal order. This participatory turn has already attracted much scholarly attention. However, two fundamental paradoxes have been overlooked.Whereas participatory democracy was traditionally meant to further the maximum participation of citizens in political life, the EU supports a modern version of the participatory ideal where citizens are represented by a selfdesignated elite of civil society experts. This book takes a critical stance on that technocratic form of government. At the same time, it examines whether there are realistic ways for a bureaucratic organization like the EU to involve a truly civil society of active citizens in governance.Participatory democracy was also intended to overcome the social inequalities of market capitalism. Yet, the EU came into existence as a European economic community embracing free and undistorted competition. This book claims that European civil society may only flourish if social Europe acts as a counterweight to economic Europe. So it analyses whether the EU has developed a social dimension strong enough to protect civil society from the colonizing forces of European economic integration.The author is currently working as an attorney at Van Olmen & Wynant, a Brussels-based law firm with a niche expertise in social and employment law. He also holds a PhD in law from the University of Leicester, awarded for the doctoral thesis upon which this book is based.

The economic unification of Europe has created a lot of victims. The realization of the single market has taken place without any adjusting or accompanying economic and social policies. Its effects on social and human relations go far beyond the economic and commercial areas its authors had in mind. It has in fact led to changes in European society that are so far-reaching that they could very well be characterized as mutations. This book looks at the phenomenon of social dumping in the wider context of liberalized social competition as steered by the European Union. It contains a number of testimonies by people who actively fight social dumping, with special attention paid to the harrowing dumping practices in the road transport sector. Some of the authors also examine the phenomenon of social dumping in relation to compliance with the fundamental right of all workers to respect for their dignity as human beings. In this respect, the underlying question is whether, by tolerating legislation that allows human dignity to be violated by social dumping, the European and national legislators in fact infringe on this key fundamental right.This book is intended for practitioners, academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the area of social policy.

The Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration is the first academic publication aiming to offer comprehensive coverage, on a yearly basis, of the most recent and salient developments regarding international sports arbitration, through a combination of general articles and case notes. The present volume covers decisions rendered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and national courts in 2015. It is a must-have for sports lawyers and arbitrators, as well as researchers engaged in this field. It provides in-depth articles on burning issues raised by international sports arbitration, and independent commentaries by esteemed academics and seasoned practitioners on the most important decisions of the CAS (e.g. the Dutee Chand case) and national courts (e.g. the Pechstein and Wilhelmshaven decision rendered by the OLG Munchen and OLG Bremen in Germany). Dr. Antoine Duval is Senior Researcher for International and European Sports Law at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in The Hague. He holds a Ph.D. on the interaction between Lex Sportiva and EU Law from the European University Institute in Florence. Prof. Antonio Rigozzi teaches international arbitration and sports law at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, and is the partner in charge of the sports arbitration practice at Levy Kaufmann-Kohler, a Geneva-based law firm specializing in international arbitration.

This book examines several aspects of the equality and non-discrimination norms in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In the first instance, the book provides an interpretation and critical analysis of the legal meaning of the principles of equality and non-discrimination in the context of the CRPD. It analyses the extent to which the concepts of equality and non-discrimination contained in the Convention fit within the various theoretical models of disability and conceptions of equality that have been elaborated to date by scholars. It also compares the theoreotical framework of equality in the CRPD to that contained in other international human rights treaties which preceded the Convention.In addition, States' obligations under the Convention are teased out. A particular focus throughout this book is on the manner in which the equality and non-discrimination norms in the CRPD can increase participation and inclusion in society of persons with disabilities. This book also examines in detail an integral component of the equality norm, namely the duty to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities and, in particular, its outer limits.In that regard, the book analyses whether the balancing and sharing of burdens inherent in the accommodation duty can teach us lessons about the overall balancing of burdens and interests implicit in many Convention rights subject to progressive realisation.Following on from that, this book devises a framework for review of measures adopted by States in the overall context of the progressive realisation of disability rights, with a particular emphasis on how the CRPD's equality norm might strengthen the realisation of socio-economic rights for disabled people. That framework of review criteria is then applied to the right to education and the accessibility obligation incumbent on States under the CRPD.Finally, this book investigates how the equality and non-discrimination norms in the Convention have already influenced, and can potentially influence, the crucial shape of disability equality case law and policy. In that connection, a case study is carried out on the Council of Europe mechanisms, in order to assess whether the CRPD is having an influence on disability law and policy at the regional level.This book demonstrates the fact that the CRPD holds enormous promise for the future application of the equality and non-discrimination norms in relation to the rights of persons with disabilities. Notwithstanding this, significant challenges lie ahead in the realisation of de facto equality for persons with disabilities.

This book focuses on new and emerging data mining solutions that offer a greater level of transparency than existing solutions. Transparent data mining solutions with desirable properties (e.g. effective, fully automatic, scalable) are covered in the book. Experimental findings of transparent solutions are tailored to different domain experts, and experimental metrics for evaluating algorithmic transparency are presented. The book also discusses societal effects of black box vs. transparent approaches to data mining, as well as real-world use cases for these approaches.As algorithms increasingly support different aspects of modern life, a greater level of transparency is sorely needed, not least because discrimination and biases have to be avoided. With contributions from domain experts, this book provides an overview of an emerging area of data mining that has profound societal consequences, and provides the technical background to for readers to contribute to the field or to put existing approaches to practical use.

Although human rights were initially conceived as rights of the individual in relation to the state, there is growing recognition that human rights must also be respected in the international arena. This five-volume series set brings together the most important and influential scholarship on issues around human rights in the area of international law. The volumes include a wide range of essays selected from an international search of print and electronic content and feature a substantial introduction by the volume editor which provides an overview of the topic of each volume. The series includes foundational articles on the development of international human rights law and covers issues on the current challenges facing international human rights lawyers and scholars, the UN system of rights, regional human rights systems and the fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination under international law. The five volumes in this series are edited by leading scholars in the field and taken together provide an invaluable research tool for scholars and students interested in the growing field of international human rights. The five volumes in this series are: Volume I: The Development of International Human Rights Law Volume II: Equality and Non-Discrimination under International Law Volume III: Challenges in International Human Rights Law Volume IV: The United Nations System for Protecting Human Rights Volume V: Regional Human Rights Systems

This exceptional new text offers an up-to-date and integrated approach to communication law. Written by two practicing attorneys with extensive experience teaching the communication law course, Law for Advertising, Broadcasting, Journalism, and Public Relations covers the areas of communication law essential and most relevant for readers throughout the communication curriculum. Its integrated approach will serve students and practitioners in advertising and public relations as well as those in journalism and electronic media. Providing background to help readers understand legal concepts, this comprehensive communication law text includes an introduction to the legal system; covers legal procedures, structures, and jurisdictions; discusses the First Amendment and electronic media regulations; and considers issues of access. Additional material includes: *intellectual property law; *employment and agency law, with explanations of how these laws create obligations for mass communication professionals and their employees; *commercial communication laws; and *special laws and regulations that impact reporters, public relations practitioners, and advertisers who deal with stock sales. Special features of this text include: *Magic Words and Phrases--defining legal terms; *Cases--illustrating key points in each chapter; *Practice Notes--highlighting points of particular interest to professional media practices; *Instructions on finding and briefing cases, with a sample brief; and *Examples of legal documents and jury instructions. This text is intended as an introduction to communication law for students and practitioners in mass communication, journalism, advertising, broadcasting, telecommunications, and public relations.

South African law remains relatively silent on the legal aspects of pregnancy, and legal commentary is rather scarce too. While there have been attempts to address the gaps in the law in relation to specific issues in pregnancy, these attempts have usually favoured the individual protection of the unborn at the expense of pregnant women's agency and rights, which has given rise to a tension between female reproductive autonomy and foetal interests. In Pregnancy Law in South Africa, the author explores the question of whether it is possible to regard pregnancy in law as embodying both women and the unborn and whether the pregnancy can be construed in a way that it does not come to be framed as an adversarial relationship. Pregnancy Law in South Africa focuses on the issues of prenatal substance abuse, termination of pregnancy, violence that terminates a pregnancy, and the extension of legal personhood to the unborn. The author argues that pregnancy-related issues will never be adequately resolved unless the potential for an adversarial pregnancy relationship is removed and proposes a relational approach to pregnancy, centred on fostering relationships, in order to eliminate the potential for tension. The author contends further that a relational approach encourages imaginative and constructive possibilities for law reform efforts without sacrificing women's reproductive autonomy and rights or the recognition of the unborn. Pregnancy Law in South Africa provides a sound theoretical approach to pregnancy in law and its recommendations seek to promote healthy, rights-affirming pregnancies.

The 2022 edition of the Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Distributors, the 'Green Guide', is the essential reference for all distributors, brokers of human medicines, importers and distributors of active substances in the UK.It provides you with the single authoritative source of European good distribution practices and UK guidance, information and UK legislation on these activities.The new 5th edition has been updated to incorporate changes made after the UK's exit from the European Union on the 31st January 2020.It also incorporates new guidance on pharmacovigilance for wholesalers, the naming of sites on a licence, self-inspection, and the responsible person for import.It brings together EU guidance on good distribution practice and the MHRA's expectations for compliance. There is also a new flowchart for the registration of handling active substances

The Dutch experience has influenced the debate on euthanasia and death with dignity around the globe, especially with regard to whether physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia should be legitimized or legalized. A review of the literature reveals complex and often contradictory views about the Dutch experience. Some claim that the Netherlands offers a model for the world to follow; others believe that the Netherlands represents danger, rather than promise, and that the Dutch experience is the definitive answer regarding why we should not make active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide part of our lives. Given these contradictory views, it has become clear that fieldwork is essential to developing a more informed opinion. Having investigated the Dutch experience for a number of years, and after thoroughly reading the vast literature published in English, I went to the Netherlands for one month in the summer of 1999 to get a feel for the local situation. I felt that this would provide the basis on which I could better interpret the findings of the available literature. I visited the major centers of medical ethics, as well as some research hospitals, and spoke with leading figures in the euthanasia policy and practice. The time spent was extremely beneficial and enriching. I followed in the footsteps of Carlos Gomez, who 1 published a book following one month of extensive research in the Netherlands.

Worldwide, children face significant health risks. The right to health of the child offers insight into the ways in which these risks should be mitigated. However, the concept of 'the highest attainable standard of health of the child' as laid down in article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child remains unclear. Therefore, this book seeks to clarify the international normative framework on the right to health of the child. It does so by looking at the international children's rights framework, international health and human rights law and by taking a particular look at relevant legislation in the European region, covering both European Union legislation and human rights law of the Council of Europe, including the Guidelines on Child-Friendly Healthcare. Also, the interpretation of the right to health by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is analyzed for 35 countries of different levels of development. On the basis of these sources, priorities are identified that should be realized to achieve the highest attainable standard of health of the child. This book addresses the question how the implementation process influences the interpretation of the highest attainable standard of health of the child. This results in a definition of the highest attainable standard of health of the child that takes into account the varying capabilities of individual children and which considers children as active rights-holders, notwithstanding their age or level of development.

This book presents a wholly new perspective on the Child Support Agency. The authors were granted privileged access to the CSA's own staff and were thus able to monitor case conduct from both the Agency and the client perspective. In a gripping analysis they compare the accounts of former husbands and wives with those of their respective legal advisers,and, critically, they incorporate the experience and views of the beleaguered CSA staff who attempted to calculate and enforce child maintenance obligations in those same cases. The media picture of the misery visited upon 'absent fathers' is borne out in part, but even more striking is the authors' account of a catastrophic administrative failure which led to the abandonment of many of the basic tenets of administrative justice. The reasons do not lie in the perceived unfairness of the formula but rather in the failure of those drafting the Child Support legislation to appreciate the impact of such change upon the rest of our hugely complex benefit structure. Their failure to grasp that the problems of inadequate disclosure and ineffective enforcement - with which courts had grappled for decades - could not be tackled effectively by a distant bureaucracy.

"Political Freedom" describes the liberties and rights of persons to take action which is deliberately designed to influence and affect public purposes: in particular government policy, the law and public opinion. Howard Davis looks at how the presence of political motives, when balanced against other motives, affects the legal character of the action, and asks why common law and statute should differentiate the political from the non-political. The book makes a contribution to the debate on the effectiveness of democracy in the United Kingdom in relation to the right to act politically and to participate in the political process of the nation, a human right as defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

For approaching two decades, family courts have been accused of making life changing decisions about children and who they live with made in secret, away from the scrutiny of the public gaze. Recognising the force of these accusations, senior family courts judges have, over that time, implemented a raft of rule changes, pilot projects and judicial guidance aimed at making the family justice more accountable and transparent. But has any progress been made? Are there still suspicions that family judges make irrevocable, unaccountable decisions in private hearings? And if so, are those suspicions justified and what can be done to dispel them? In this important and timely new book, Clifford Bellamy, a recently retired family judge who has been at the sharp end of family justice during all these changes, attempts to answer those questions and more. He has spoken to leading journalists, judges and academic researchers to find out what the obstacles to open reporting are - be they legal, economic or cultural - and interweaves their insights with informed analysis on how the laws regulating family court reporting operate. Along the way he provides a comprehensive review of the raft of initiatives he has seen come and go, summarises the position now and uses this experience to suggest how this fundamental aspect of our justice system could adapt in the face of this criticism. Every professional working in the family justice system - lawyers, social workers, court staff and judges - as well as those who job it is to report on legal affairs, should read this informative, nuanced exposition of what open justice means and why it matters so much to those whose lives are upended by the family justice system.

The ways in which Internet traffic is managed have direct consequences on Internet users' rights as well as on their capability to compete on a level playing field. Network neutrality mandates to treat Internet traffic in a non-discriminatory fashion in order to maximise end users' freedom and safeguard an open Internet. This book is the result of a collective work aimed at providing deeper insight into what is network neutrality, how does it relates to human rights and free competition and how to properly frame this key issue through sustainable policies and regulations. The Net Neutrality Compendium stems from three years of discussions nurtured by the members of the Dynamic Coalition on Network Neutrality (DCNN), an open and multi-stakeholder group, established under the aegis of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

Medical responsibility lawsuits have become a fact of life in every physician s medical practice. However, there is evidence that physicians are increasingly practising defensive medicine, ordering more tests than may be necessary and avoiding patients with complicated conditions. The modern practice of medicine is increasingly complicated by factors beyond the traditional realm of patient care, including novel technologies, loss of physician autonomy, and economic pressures. A continuing and significant issue affecting physicians and the healthcare system is malpractice. In the latter half of the 20th century, there was a major change in the attitude of the public towards the medical profession. People were made aware of the huge advances in medical technology, because health problems increasingly tended to attract media interest and wide publicity. Medicine is a victim of its own success in this respect, and people are now led to expect the latest techniques and perfect outcomes on all occasions. This burst of technology and hyper-specialization in many fields of medicine means that each malpractice claim is transformed into a scientific challenge, requiring specific preparation in analysis and judgment of the clinical case in question. The role of legal medicine becomes more and more peculiar in this judicial setting, often giving rise to erroneous interpretations and hasty scientific verdicts, but guidelines on the methodology of ascertainments and criteria of evaluation are lacking all over the world.The aim of this volume is to clarify the steps required for sequential in-depth analysis of events and consequences of medical actions, in order to verify whether, in the presence of damage, errors or non-observance of rules of conduct by health personnel exist, and which causal values and links of their hypothetical misconduct are involved. "