Understand Family Law through its social context and engage in critical legal debates.Family Law, 10th Edition, by Jonathan Herring, is the best-selling textbook in the field, widely preferred by students and lecturers alike.The book explores the theories and debates that underpin the subject. It helps you develop your critical thinking skills in this dynamic discipline, by studying essential legal principles and exploring the topic accor...

This book explores the importance of autonomy in family law. It argues that traditional understandings of autonomy are inappropriate in the family law context and instead recommends the use of relational autonomy. The book starts by explaining how autonomy has historically been understood, before exploring the problems with its use in family law. It then sets out the model of relational autonomy which, it will be argued, is more appropriate in this context. Finally, some examples of practi...

Whether you’re new to higher education, coming to legal study for the first time or just wondering what Family Law is all about, Beginning Family Law is the ideal introduction to help you hit the ground running. Starting with the basics and an overview of each topic, it will help you come to terms with the structure, themes and issues of the subject so that you can begin your Family Law module with confidence.Adopting a clear and simple approach with legal vocabula...

Revise with the help of the UK’s bestselling law revision series.Designed for students, this book will help you:Understand how to review essential cases, statutes, and legal termsLearn how to assess and approach the subject by using expert adviceLearn how to lead further discussionsFind additional support on our Law Express companion website, which contains a host of extra resources to provide you wi...

What is a family? What makes someone a parent? What rights should children have? Family Law: A Very Short Introduction gives the reader an insight not only into what the law is, but why it is the way it is. It examines how laws have had to respond to social changes in family life, from rapidly rising divorce rates to surrogate mothers, and gives insight into family courts which are required to deal with the chaos of family life and often struggle to keep up-to-date with the social...

This book promotes a relational understanding of the self. It explores how law can be transformed by focusing on the promotion and protection of caring relationships, rather than individual rights. This offers a radical and profound re-imagining of what law is about and what it should be trying to do. It moves from the theoretical into offering practical examples of how the law could be developed to enhance relationships, rather than undermine them.

What is a family? What makes someone a parent? What rights should children have? Family Law: A Very Short Introduction gives the reader an insight not only into what the law is, but why it is the way it is. It examines how laws have had to respond to social changes in family life, from rapidly rising divorce rates to surrogate mothers, and gives insight into family courts which are required to deal with the chaos of family life and often struggle to keep up-to-date with the social...

Criminal Law: The Basics is an insightful introduction to the legal aspects of criminal acts, ranging from battery to burglary and harassment to homicide.Starting with an in-depth exploration of the very concept of crime, the book considers key questions such as:• How should we decide what is criminal and what isn’t?• What is the difference between murder and manslaughter?• Could you ever be guilty of stealing your own property?• What defences are av...

This book will challenge the orthodox view that children cannot have the same rights as adults because they are particularly vulnerable. It will argue that we should treat adults and children in the same way as the child liberationists claim. However, the basis of that claim is not that children are more competent than we traditionally given them credit for, but rather that adults are far less competent than we give them credit for.It is commonly assumed that children are more vuln...

This book argues that suicidal people have the right to receive treatment and for reasonable steps to be taken that they are protected from killing themselves. Those suffering threats to life from mental health issues deserve the same protection as those who face threats to life from ill health or violence from others. The book explores the ethical and legal case for giving those beset with suicidal thoughts the treatment they need and for reasonable steps to be taken to prevent them attem...

'Caring and the Law' considers the law's response to caring. It explores how care is valued and recognised, how it is regulated and restricted and how the values of caring are reflected in the law. It does this by examining the law's interaction with caring in a wide range of fields including family, medical, welfare, criminal and tort law. At the heart of the book is the claim that the law has failed to recognise the importance of caring in many areas and in doing so has led to the costs ...