This introduction to law presents a contextual overview of the English legal system while, at the same time, providing the groundwork for a critical understanding of legal institutions, processes and materials. Understanding Law is not simply an exposition of the English legal system. It also places the study of law within a broader framework of inquiry focusing on the evaluation and explanation of legal decision-making at all levels. This new edition incorporates: * A fully revised and updated chapter on the criminal justice system, taking account of the Auld Review and the government's latest CJS proposals * An expanded chapter on the civil justice system after Woolf * The impact of the Human Rights Act (including Lambert and Kansal on precedent practice in the House of Lords) * A completely new section on the globalisation of law This book sets a distinctive manifesto for legal education that is in line with the ACLEC emphasis on understanding (rather than passive role learning) as the key to the initial stage of legal education. It has proven to be a valuable introductory text for new law students.