The focus of the essays in this book is on the relationship between compensation culture, social values and tort damages for personal injuries. A central concern of the public and political perception of personal injuries claims is the high cost of tort claims to society, reflected in insurance premiums, often accompanied by an assumption that tort law and practice is flawed and improperly raising such costs. The aims of this collection are to first clarify the relationship between tort damages for personal injuries and the social values that the law seeks to reflect and to balance, then to critically assess tort reforms, including both proposals for reform and actual implemented reforms, in light of how they advance or hinder those values. Reforms of substantive and procedural law in respect of personal injury damages are analysed, with perspectives from England and Wales, Canada, Australia, Ireland and continental Europe. The essays offer valuable insights to anyone interested in the reform of tort law or the tort process in respect of personal injuries.

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A powerful polemic' Sunday Times 'A compelling, eye-opening read' Daily Express – Did an illegal immigrant avoid deportation because he had a cat? – Is the law on the side of the burglar who enters your home? – Are unelected judges ‘enemies of the people’? Most of us think the law is only relevant to criminals, if we even think of it at all. But the law touches every area of our lives: from intimate family matters to the biggest issues in our society. Our unfamiliarity is dangerous because it makes us vulnerable to media spin, political lies and the kind of misinformation that frequently comes from loud-mouthed amateurs and those with vested interests. This 'fake law' allows the powerful and the ignorant to corrupt justice without our knowledge – worse, we risk letting them make us complicit. Thankfully, the Secret Barrister is back to reveal the stupidity, malice and incompetence behind many of the biggest legal stories of recent years. In Fake Law, the Secret Barrister debunks the lies and builds a defence against the abuse of our law, our rights and our democracy that is as entertaining as it is vital.

A classic treatment of the law relating to compensation for personal injuries, this edition discusses the relevant legal rules as well as the social, political and economic issues underlying the law.

This is the eagerly awaited new edition of Law of Torts, the complete Irish tort law reference book. For this, the contents have been extensively revised since the last edition was published in 2000. Key developments are detailed and relevant recent case law is examined. This book is essential for both legal practitioners and people studying Irish law. Recent important legislation examined in the book includes: Criminal Law (Defence and the Dwelling) Act 2011, Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011, Defamation Act 2009, Consumer Protection Act 2007, Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 and Personal Injuries Assessment Board Act 2003. Key developments and case law are examined in areas such as pure economic loss, limitations and purchase of financial products, vicarious liability for sexual assaults, damages, privacy, defamation, psychiatric injury, liability of public authorities, employers' liability, professional negligence, defective buildings and products and occupiers' liability. First published in 1980, Law of Torts has long been a cornerstone work in Irish law, indeed in the foreword to the first edition Judge Brian Walshe noted that the book represented a challenge to the 'unquestioned assumption that English text-books would satisfy all needs.' This new addition will only add to the book's long-established merit and value.

Introduction --The Function of Compensation and Damages --Valuation Standards and Criteria --International Standards, Bases of Value, and Valuation Approaches --Methods of Valuation in International Practice --Interest --Conclusions.

A man slips on a dance floor and breaks his leg. He recovers damages. A child has both legs amputated as a result of meningitis and is awarded nothing. The law's justification for awarding damages in the first case is that the man's injury was the fault of someone else, while in the second case damages are denied because nobody was at fault. In this searching critique of the present law and practice relating to damages, Professor Patrick Atiyah shows that this system is in fact a lottery. He contends that the public are paying far too much for an unfair and inefficient insurance system and that reform is long overdue. His conclusion is that actions for damages for injuries should be abolished and replaced with a new no-fault road accident scheme, and actions for other injuries should be dealt with by individual or group insurance policies.