Lord Sumption has been one of the most influential judges of his generation. This book critically reflects on the important and controversial issues raised by his jurisprudence. Using Lord Sumption's judgments and extra-judicial lectures as a starting point, the book contains a selection of essays that consider 'where next' in relation to topics such as: - contract variation, damages and penalties; - economic loss and personal injury in tort law; - knowing receipt and proprietary restitution; - illegality in private law; - agency and attribution; - piercing the corporate veil; - foreign law in the English courts. The book covers a broad range of areas in private law including contract, tort, unjust enrichment, equity, company and commercial law, as well as private international law and civil procedure.

Lord Sumption has been one of the most influential judges of his generation. This book critically reflects on the important and controversial issues raised by his jurisprudence. Using Lord Sumption's judgments and extra-judicial lectures as a starting point, the book contains a selection of essays that consider 'where next' in relation to topics such as: - contract variation, damages and penalties; - economic loss and personal injury in tort law; - knowing receipt and proprietary restitution; - illegality in private law; - agency and attribution; - piercing the corporate veil; - foreign law in the English courts. The book covers a broad range of areas in private law including contract, tort, unjust enrichment, equity, company and commercial law, as well as private international law and civil procedure.

The topics addressed in this book have traditionally been covered in separate publications on civil and commercial law. This dualism of regimes has made it difficult for students and professionals alike to comprehend Spanish private law as a whole. In the past this has led to inefficient duplication of explanations, gaps in key areas and an altogether fragmented picture. Introduction to Spanish Private Law presents a consolidated, modern, and realistic image of today’s Spanish private legal system. It combines both civil and commercial law and integrates them in the same book, making the overall subject far more accessible to readers. This united approach results in a more logical and efficient process of learning. Finally the issues that are addressed reflect the reality of today’s economic and legal scene. This book attempts to provide the readers with the necessary legal instruments to tackle the real problems arising from a globalized modern society. The general principles in this book are presented from a practical point of view that emanates from the authors’ conception of a legal system as an instrument to solve social problems in accordance with a set of principles, values and aims.

New Private Law Theory is pluralist, comparative, application-oriented, transnational and reflects critical approaches.

It’s long been known that Japanese file fewer lawsuits per capita than Americans do. Yet explanations for the difference have tended to be partial and unconvincing, ranging from circular arguments about Japanese culture to suggestions that the slow-moving Japanese court system acts as a deterrent. With Second-Best Justice, J. Mark Ramseyer offers a more compelling, better-grounded explanation: the low rate of lawsuits in Japan results not from distrust of a dysfunctional system but from trust in a system that works—that sorts and resolves disputes in such an overwhelmingly predictable pattern that opposing parties rarely find it worthwhile to push their dispute to trial. Using evidence from tort claims across many domains, Ramseyer reveals a court system designed not to find perfect justice, but to “make do”—to adopt strategies that are mostly right and that thereby resolve disputes quickly and economically. An eye-opening study of comparative law, Second-Best Justice will force a wholesale rethinking of the differences among alternative legal systems and their broader consequences for social welfare.

Is Private International Law (PIL) still fit to serve its function in today’s global environment? In light of some calls for radical changes to its very foundations, this timely book investigates the ability of PIL to handle contemporary and international problems, and inspires genuine debate on the future of the field.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. In this Advanced Introduction, one of the world’s leading private law scholars takes the reader on an intellectual journey through the different facets and dimensions of the field, from the family home to Kuta Beach and from Thomas Piketty to Nina Hagen. This concise book provides an accessible and fresh introduction to private law, presenting the topic as a unified whole of which the main branches – on contract, tort, property, family and inheritance – are governed by conflicts between individual autonomy and countervailing principles. The book stands out as a unique account of how private law allows individuals to optimally flourish in matters of economy, work, leisure, family and life in general.