Providing an introduction to the role and place of law in modern society, this addition to the "Clarendon Law" series explores the idea that the legal system is a developed social system, which has a distinct character and structure, and which shapes and influences behaviour. This addition to the "Clarendon Law" series offers a comprehensive account of, and contribution to, the study of law in modern society. Written by a leading academic in the field, this book examines the underlying idea that the legal system is a highly developed social system which has a distinctive character and structure, and which shapes and influences behaviour. This involves firstly, analysing the nature of law as a social formation itself and, secondly, examining the ways in which it interacts with other aspects of society. In the course of the book the work of legal and social theorists is analysed, and the text illustrated and authenticated by drawing on empirical research in the law and society tradition.