Legal English: How to Understand and Master the Language of Law offers a contemporary guide for students and practitioners alike who want to improve their language skills and build confidence in communicating effectively from the classroom to the courtroom. The second edition has been completely revised and updated to cover all aspects of language as used in a legal context where effective communication is crucial to both academic and professional success.

Parliament and Congress describes and compares the constitutional background and procedures of these two legislative bodies. Currently unsolved problems often have much in common, in vexed areas such as ethics requirements or how procedural rules permit minorities fair access to legislative time before majorities prevail. British successes include the enhanced authority and effectiveness of select committees and the acquisition of more debating time by the creation of a parallel Chamber. Unsolved problems at Westminster begin with the powers and status of the Lords, and go on through the search for more effective review of EU activities, adapting parliamentary scrutiny to more sophisticated government financial information, and making better use of legislative time without diminishing back-bench rights.
The accelerated pace and extent of procedural changes in Congress is problematic. Constant pursuit of campaign funds, increased party exploitation of Members' ethical shortcomings, and partisan reapportionments, have diminished collegiality and compromise. Business is conducted with greater predictability, with fewer quorum calls, postponement and clustering of votes, and by utilization of ad hoc special orders, often in derogation of openness and minority rights in the House. Minority complaints have been frequent and occasionally extreme. Conversely constant filibuster threats in the Senate have enhanced minority party power there. An 'inverse ratio' between the greater complexity, importance, and urgency of pending legislation on the one hand, and diminution of deliberative capacity, fairness. and transparency on the other, has been repeatedly demonstrated, especially at the stage of final compromises between the Houses.

The constitutional background of both legislatures and their procedures are described and where possible compared. Currently unsolved problems often have much in common, in vexed areas such as ethics requirements or how procedural rules permit minorities fair access to legislative time before majorities prevail. British successes include the enhanced authority and effectiveness of select committees and the acquisition of more debating time by the creation of a parallel Chamber. Unsolved problems at Westminster begin with the powers and status of the Lords, and go on through the search for more effective review of EU activities, adapting parliamentary scrutiny to more sophisticated government financial information, and making better use of legislative time without diminishing back-bench rights.
The accelerated pace and extent of procedural changes in Congress is problematic. Constant pursuit of campaign funds, increased party exploitation of Members' ethical shortcomings, and partisan reapportionments, have diminished collegiality and compromise. Business is conducted with greater predictability, with fewer quorum calls, postponement and clustering of votes, and by utilization of ad hoc special orders, often in derogation of openness and minority rights in the House. Minority complaints have been frequent and occasionally extreme. Conversely constant filibuster threats in the Senate have enhanced minority party power there. An 'inverse ratio' between the greater complexity, importance, and urgency of pending legislation on the one hand, and diminution of deliberative capacity, fairness. and transparency on the other, has been repeatedly demonstrated, especially at the stage of final compromises between the Houses.

This volume follows the general pattern of the series, opening with a discussion of content, of authorship, and of the way the collection came to be put together, followed by a psalm-by-psalm presentation of the New English Bible text with commentary. Dr Rogerson and Dr McKay stress the richness and variety of the material in the Psalms, and provide an analytical table of the predominant themes. They discuss the literary characteristics of Hebrew poetry with special reference to devices such as the acrostic, and examine the problems faced by the New English Bible translators. Over the years many different approaches have been made to the interpretation of the Psalms. The authors characterize these as the spiritual, the historical, the form-critical and the cultic approaches, and their own commentary strikes an effective balance between them. One of their primary purposes is to bring out the religious teaching that is of permanent value within the Psalms.