English Legal System in Context provides a critical overview of the legal system. It establishes a sound theoretical framework within which to analyse the system and its various intricacies, encouraging students to develop a critical approach to the study of this important topic. The authors provide an insightful contextual analysis of the system and its main protagonists: as well as the traditional core areas of the English legal system such as the courts, case law, legal professionals, and the civil and criminal proceedings, the text discusses the police and their powers, the role of the CPS, private policing, the work of non-police agencies. This edition also contains a new chapter on alternative dispute resolution, designed to broaden the reader's appreciation of this central issue, plus new material on the role of law schools and law students. With a clear, logical structure, and a wealth of references to take the reader further into the subject, this is a perceptive and wide-ranging study that explains and illuminates this fascinating topic.