English Legal System in Context provides a critical overview of the legal system, and establishes a sound theoretical framework within which to analyse the system. It discusses the intricacies of the legal system, showing the blurred distinction between the legal and the non-legal, and 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 authors discuss the police and their powers, the role of the CPS, private policing, the work of non-police agencies, and various methods of alternative dispute resolution. Students will find the coverage of the legal profession of particular interest; this text is distinctive in its detailed examination of the role of law schools and law students in the development of the legal profession. 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 subject.