This book is aimed at presenting in English the main aspects of the Italian Public Law to domestic and international audience. This demands a new approach, departing from the traditional perspective of the Italian legal doctrine. For that reason, it proposes a journey through the Italian legal system, along two main dimensions: comparative dialogue and historical perspective. First of all, although the focus of the book is on Italian law, the comparative perspective is pervasive. Using the English language to present Italian and rules implies a continuous comparison. Italy is considered not “the” case-study, but rather “a” case-study. It is an example of a broader legal family, which corresponds to that of post-World War II liberal-democracies. Secondly, an historical perspective is also necessary, so as to frame existing Italian law within the many events and regimes of Italy’s recent history. The book is organised in two parts. The first part deals with the State and its evolutionary patterns, including rights and freedom. The second part is dedicated to the form of government, including the sources of law.

For fifty years, the first edition of The Italian Legal System has been the gold standard among English-language works on the Italian legal system. The book's original authors, Mauro Cappelletti, John Henry Merryman, and Joseph M. Perillo, provided not only an overview of Italian law, but a definition of the field, together with an important contribution to the general literature on comparative law. The book explains the unique "Italian style" in doctrine, law, and interpretation and includes an extremely well-written introduction to Italian legal history, government, the legal profession, and civil procedure and evidence. In this fully-updated and revised second edition, authors Michael A. Livingston, Pier Giuseppe Monateri, and Francesco Parisi describe the substantial changes in Italian law and society in the intervening five decades—including the creation and impact of the European Union, as well as important advances in comparative law methodology. The second edition poses timely, relevant questions of whether and to what extent the unique Italian style of law has survived the pressures of European unification, American influence, and the globalization of law and society in the intervening period. The Italian Legal System, Second Edition is an important and stimulating resource for those with specific interest in Italy and those with a more general interest in comparative law and the globalization process.

Introduction to the Laws.....Series Volume 4 This is a methodologically advanced introduction to the main features of the Italian Legal System. Its eighteen chapters cover all the significant changes and innovations that have recently taken place, including: a new system of private international law; a greatly altered and expanded body of family law; a new code of criminal procedure; fundamental changes in civil procedure; the effects of European legislation on Italian municipal law; the reformation of administrative law; and the latest computer-assisted research tools and techniques used to research Italian law. Written for academics and lawyers alike, this book is an indispensable tool for those wishing to grasp the context of Italian legal activity. Written by Italian experts at the top of their respective fields, An Introduction to Italian Law is a readable yet technically sophisticated and critical discussion of the systemic features that make the Italian legal system a landmark of the civil law tradition.