Subjects:

Legal Skills and Method

Contents:

Preface

PART I: INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES

1. Institutions and Processes

2. European Influences

PART II: THE CRIMINAL PROCESS

3. Understanding the Criminal Justice System

4. Magistrates Courts and the Crown Court

5. Policing: On the Street

6. Policing: in the Station and Into Court

7. The Defendant in the Magistrates Court

8. The Defendant in the Crown Court

9. Challenging the Decision of the Trial Court

PART III: THE CIVIL PROCESS

10. Understanding the Civil Process

11. Dealing with Personal Injury Claims

12. Dealing with Debt Cases

13. Dealing with Small Claims

14. Dealing with Social Security Benefit Claims

15. Dealing with Unfair Dismissal Claims

16. Review and Supervision

PART IV. THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES

17. Legal Services: The Legal Profession

18. Legal Services: Delivery Systems

PART V: RECURRING THEMES

19. Recurring themes

Index

This completely revised new edition of the popular text The Administration of Justice considers the theory and practice of the operation of those institutions of the English legal system with which the ordinary citizen is most likely to have contact. It adopts as its focus the notion of access to justice. Throughout, the law in the books is measured against the law in action drawing both on official sources and on research studies into the operation of the system. Both the criminal and civil systems are considered, and the work of tribunals is given a prominent place in the consideration of the civil system. Major trends are identified and a new chapter considers the impact both of European Union law and of the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights. The text provides a unique introduction to the English legal system and the individual, and raises questions about its ability to meet the needs of all its citizens by examining the themes of due process and access to justice.