Law, Society and Community Socio-Legal Essays in Honour of Roger Cotterrell

This collection of socio-legal studies, written by leading theorists and researchers from around the world, offers original, perceptive and critical contributions to ideas and theories that have been expounded by Roger Cotterrell over a long and distinguished career. Engaging with many classic issues and theories of the sociology of law, the contributions are likely to become classics themselves as they tackle some of the most significant challenges that modern law faces. They do not shy away from what one of the contributors describes as the complexity and multiplicity of our contemporary legal world. The book is organized in three parts: socio-legal themes; methodological and jurisprudential themes; globalization, cultural and comparative law themes. Starting with a chapter that re-engages with the need to interpret legal ideas sociologically, and ending with one that explores the global significance of modern fascination with the idea of the rule of law, this selection offers important additions to the oeuvre of Roger Cotterrell (a list of whose academic writings is included in the book).

Richard Nobles is Professor of Law at Queen Mary, University of London. His research interests are in the areas of System Theory as applied to Law; Criminal Appeals, and Miscarriages of Justice. David Schiff is Professor of Law at Queen Mary, University of London. His research interests are in the fields of criminal appeals and miscarriages of justice, and the application of autopoietic systems theory that involves the legal system's relationship to other subsystems of communication. Professors Nobles and Schiff have published widely on their respective areas of interest both independently and as co-authors.