Law: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

Law is at the heart of every society, protecting rights, imposing duties, and establishing a framework for the conduct of almost all social, political, and economic activity. Despite this, the law often seems a highly technical, perplexing mystery, with its antiquated and often impenetrable jargon, obsolete procedures, and endless stream of judgements and complex legislation.

In this Very Short Introduction Raymond Wacks introduces the major branches of the law, describing what lawyers do, and how courts operate, and considers the philosophy of law and its pursuit of justice, freedom, and equality. Wacks locates the discipline in our contemporary world, considering the pressures of globalization and digitalisation, and the nature of the law in our culture of threatened security and surveillance. In this new edition, the author considers a number of social and political events that have had an impact on the law, including the COV,ID-19 pandemic, the growth of social media and surveillance, and the increasing threats to the rule of law.


ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

• Provides a general account of legal systems around the world from the earliest beginnings to the present - and the future
• Examines the future of the law in the face of a number of contemporary challenges including the threat of terrorism, surveillance, and the impact of the Internet
• Looks beyond domestic law to examine how international law is used to settle disputes between states, punish malevolent dictators, and create a better world
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

New to this Edition:

• In this new edition, the author considers a number of social and political events that have had an impact on the law, including the COV,ID-19 pandemic, surveillance, and the killing of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement