
Law and management is an emerging approach that refers to research that seeks to explain how companies can use law to their benefit and turn it into a competitive advantage. Unlike economic analyses of law, which aim to evaluate the performance of norms, law and management consider the differences in performance of companies operating within the same legal environment. All companies can optimize their management with respect to the law provided they can see the opportunities and threats that law creates and then take advantage of those opportunities or to manage those risks.
In The Oxford Handbook of Law and Management, editors Antoine Masson, Hugues Bouthinon-Dumas, Jean-Michel Do Carmo Silva, and W. Gregory Voss have gathered experts in law, business, and social sciences to present a comprehensive exploration of the intersection of law and business strategy. The volume explores how companies can leverage legal tools—contracts, compliance, litigation, and more—to gain a competitive edge. Further, it offers practical techniques and theoretical insights on a broad range of topics, such as risk management, corporate governance, and legal innovation. The chapters cover how the law could be understood by management and attendant ethical questions, different views on the legal performance of companies, the different drivers of legal performance, the ways a company can modify its institutional or competitive environment to its advantage, the practice of law & management, and several emerging issues.
An essential resource for scholars and students of management and business law, the Handbook provides a better understanding of how legal strategies can drive business success and offers a fresh perspective on the strategic role of law in business.