In this unique book Lord Woolf recounts his remarkable career and provides a personal and honest perspective on the most important developments in the common law over the last half century. The book opens with a comprehensive description of his family background, which was very influential on his later life, starting with the arrival of his grandparents as Jewish immigrants to England in 1870. His recollections of his early years and family, education and life as a student lead into his early career as a barrister and as a Treasury Devil, moving on to his judicial career and the many roles taken therein. The numerous standout moments examined include his work on access to the judiciary, prison reform, and suggested reforms to the European Court of Human Rights. Fascinating insights into the defining cases of his career, T AG v Jonathan Cape, Gouriet v Union of Post Office Workers, Tameside, Hazel v Hammersmith, M v Home Office, remind the reader of how impactful his influence has been. He considers the setting of the mandatory component of the life sentences of Thompson and Venables and the Diane Blood case. Alongside the case law, and the Woolf Reforms, the Constitutional Law Reform Act 2005 is also explored. Considering the ebb and flow of changes over his remarkable judicial life, Lord Woolf identifies those he welcomes, but also expresses regret on what has been lost. A book to remind lawyers, be they students, practitioners or scholars, of the power and importance of law. All author profits from the book will be donated to the Woolf Institute.

The Law of Solicitors' Liabilities, previously known as Solicitors' Negligence and Liability, provides a comprehensive guide to all aspects of solicitors' negligence, liability in equity and wasted costs. Written by leading practitioners in the field, it deals with a variety of topics, from general principles to specific situations, providing practical guidance to the procedural aspects of bringing and defending a claim for solicitors' negligence. The new fourth edition includes: - A new chapter on insurance law focusing on a number of key topics which arise, particularly in relation to solicitors' insurance: aggregation; condonation; definition of private legal practice; notification; possibly successor practice rules. - Updated case law to cover all recent Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions, eg Hughes-Holland v BPE (Supreme Court) scope of duty and extent of damages; Redler v AIB (Supreme Court): breach of trust; Lowick Rose v Swynson (Supreme Court): lifting the corporate veil in claims against professionals; Tiuta International v de Villiers (Court of Appeal): lenders' claims, impact of a remortgage on damages; Wellesley v Withers (Court of Appeal): test for remoteness of damage; and E Surv v Goldsmith Williams (Court of Appeal): implied duty on solicitors in lenders' claims. - Regulatory/disciplinary developments, eg revised SRA Code of Conduct.

Now available in a paperback edition, law and technology guru Richard Susskind, author of bestselling The Future of Law, brings together in one volume eleven significant essays on the application of IT to legal practice and the administration of justice, including key topics such as knowledge management and the impact of electronic commerce and electronic government. This edition includes a new Preface, in which Susskind puts forward his views on the burst of the dotcom bubble, offers an extension to his Grid to cover in-house lawyers, and comments on the next big things in this area: e-learning, document assembly, online dispute resolution, e-mail management, and matter-centric systems.

Language shapes and reflects how we think about the world. It engages and intrigues us. Our everyday use of language is quite effortless we are all experts on our native tongues. Despite this, issues of language and meaning have long flummoxed the judges on whom we depend for the interpretation of our most fundamental legal texts. Should a judge feel confident in defining common words in the texts without the aid of a linguist? How is the meaning communicated by the text determined? Should the communicative meaning of texts be decisive, or at least influential? To fully engage and probe these questions of interpretation, this volume draws upon a variety of experts from several fields, who collectively examine the interpretation of legal texts. In The Nature of Legal Interpretation, the contributors argue that the meaning of language is crucial to the interpretation of legal texts, such as statutes, constitutions, and contracts. Accordingly, expert analysis of language from linguists, philosophers, and legal scholars should influence how courts interpret legal texts. Offering insightful new interdisciplinary perspectives on originalism and legal interpretation, these essays put forth a significant and provocative discussion of how best to characterize the nature of language in legal texts.

This edition makes Susskind's highly-acclaimed and best-selling book available in paperback, and includes a new and substantial preface by the author. His prize-winning book demonstrates why the future of the law is digital. It shows why and how IT is radically altering and will alter further the practice of law and the administration of justice. Beyond automating and streamlining traditional ways of providing legal advice, IT is re-engineering the entire legal process, resulting in legal products and information services focused on dispute pre-emption rather than dispute resolution, and legal risk management rather than legal problem solving. With easy and inexpensive access available, IT will help to integrate the law with business and domestic life. This book explores the implications, opportunities, and challenges presented by the information society as it irrevocably changes how law will be practised and justice administered.