He saw a lawyer killing a viper
On a dunghill hard by his own stable;
and the Devil smiled, for it put him in mind
of Cain and his brother, Abel
Coleridge, The Devil’s Thoughts
This book is written for non-lawyers and lawyers. It has the following aims:
In general, to communicate a highly critical analysis of the current state of English law and lawyers.
To continue to emphasise the overwhelming importance of the illegality of the Iraq war.
To expose, explain and illustrate the central role of money in the English legal system.
To argue, on behalf of non-lawyers, for the simplification, demystification and clarification of English legal rules.
To examine the growing involvement of charity in the English legal system.
To analyse English law and lawyers from the perspective of class justice.
To restate and to publicise neglected voices of dissent on law and lawyers.
To discuss the concept of human rights.
To illustrate, with recent examples, the significance of health and safety law in the English legal system.
To put forward realistic suggestions for alternative legal practice.
To discuss the meaning and significance of dissent in the context of legal practice.
To challenge existing preconceptions and accepted wisdom about the role of English law and lawyers.
To discuss the effect, in a historical context, of revolutionary changes in society on law and lawyers.
To raise public awareness and stimulate discussion of the key current issues in English law.