The English Legal System: 2011-2012

Slapper and Kelly’s The English Legal System explains and critically assesses how our law is made and applied. Annually updated, this authoritative textbook clearly describes the legal rules of England and Wales and their collective influence as a sociocultural institution.

This latest edition of The English Legal System responds to the proposals of the newly elected coalition government as they affect the legal system as well as the most recent legislation and case law. The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Crime and Security Act 2010, new European law and the latest decisions of the Supreme Court are all incorporated into the text, and this edition also digests recent research on the work of juries and the criminal courts, and the 2010 changes to the regulation of, and Government contributions towards, legal services.

Key learning features include:

• a clear and logical structure with short, manageable, well-structured individual chapters;
• useful chapter summaries which act as a good check point for students;
• sources for further reading and suggested websites at the end of each chapter to point students towards further learning pathways;
• an online skills network including how tos, practical examples, tips, advice and interactive examples of English law in action.

Relied upon by generations of students, Slapper and Kelly’s The English Legal System is a permanent fixture in this ever evolving subject.

Gary Slapper is Professor of Law, and Director of the Centre for Law, at The Open University, and writes a legal column for The Times.

David Kelly was Principal Lecturer in Law at Staffordshire University.