Law as Engineering: Thinking about What Lawyers Do Hardback - 2013

'This is a brilliant, highly original analysis of what lawyers actually do and what they ought to do in order to protect their clients and the public. It will rescue lawyers from the kinds of behaviour that contributed to the financial crash. It also points legal education and research in important new directions.'
- Sir Bob Hepple, Professor, QC FBA

'This book brings an important new perspective to a consideration of what lawyers do, and of what they are for. The implications explored in the book are an immensely valuable contribution to thinking on the future development of legal education and training. It should be read by everyone responsible for recruiting or training others for the law, whether in the public or the private sector.'
- Sir Stephen Laws KCB, QC(Hon), LLD(Hon), First Parliamentary Counsel

Law as Engineering proposes a radically new way of thinking about law, as a profession and discipline concerned with design rather than with litigation, and having much in common with engineering in the way it produces devices useful for its clients. It uses that comparison to propose ways of improving legal design, to advocate a transformation of legal ethics so that the profession learns from its role in the crash of 2008, and to reform legal education and research.

Offering a totally new perspective, this book will be a fascinating read for law students and prospective law students, legal academics across all sub-fields, lawyers in government, especially those engaged in drafting legislation, and policymakers.

Contents:
Preface
1. Introduction
2. What do Lawyers do?
3. Law as Engineering
4. Implications (1) - Professional Ethics
5. Implications (2) - Legal Research and Teaching
6. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index