This lively book reassesses a century of jurisprudential thought from a fresh perspective, and points to a malaise that currently afflicts not only legal theory but law in general. Steven Smith argues that our legal vocabulary and methods of reasoning presuppose classical ontological commitments that were explicitly articulated by thinkers from Aquinas to Coke to Blackstone, and even by Joseph Story. But these commitments are out of sync with the world view that prevails today in academic and professional thinking. So our law-talk thus degenerates into "just words"--or a kind of nonsense. The diagnosis is similar to that offered by Holmes, the Legal Realists, and other critics over the past century, except that these critics assumed that the older ontological commitments were dead, or at least on their way to extinction; so their aim was to purge legal discourse of what they saw as an archaic and fading metaphysics. Smith's argument starts with essentially the same metaphysical predicament but moves in the opposite direction. Instead of avoiding or marginalizing the "ultimate questions," he argues that we need to face up to them and consider their implications for law.

Eleven legal scholars analyze Joseph Smith's legal encounters that included more than two hundred suits in the courts of New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and elsewhere. Topics cover constitutional law, copyright, disorderly conduct, association, assault, marriage, banking, land preemptive rights, treason, municipal charters, bankruptcy, guardianship, habeas corpus, adultery, and freedom of the press. A 53-page legal chronology presents key information about Joseph's life in the law. An appendix provides biographies of sixty lawyers and judges with whom he was involved, some being the best legal minds of his day.

A recent study estimates that thousands of innocent people are wrongfully imprisoned each year in the United States. Some are exonerated through DNA evidence, but many more languish in prison because their convictions were based on faulty eyewitness accounts and no DNA is available. Prominent criminal lawyer and law professor Abbe Smith weaves together real life cases to show what it is like to champion the rights of the accused. Smith describes the moral and ethical dilemmas of representing the guilty and the weighty burden of fighting for the innocent, including the victorious story of how she helped free a woman wrongly imprisoned for nearly three decades. For fans of Law and Order and investigative news programs like 20/20, Case of a Lifetime is a chilling look at what really determines a person's innocence.

Criminal defense attorneys protect the innocent and guilty alike, but, the majority of criminal defendants are guilty. This is as it should be in a free society. Yet there are many different types of crime and degrees of guilt, and the defense must navigate through a complex criminal justice system that is not always equipped to recognize nuances. In Guilty People, law professor and longtime criminal defense attorney Abbe Smith gives us a thoughtful and honest look at guilty individuals on trial. Each chapter tells compelling stories about real cases she handled; some of her clients were guilty of only petty crimes and misdemeanors, while others committed offenses as grave as rape and murder. In the process, she answers the question that every defense attorney is routinely asked: How can you represent these people? Smith’s answer also tackles seldom-addressed but equally important questions such as: Who are the people filling our nation’s jails and prisons? Are they as dangerous and depraved as they are usually portrayed? How did they get caught up in the system? And what happens to them there? This book challenges the assumption that the guilty are a separate species, unworthy of humane treatment. It is dedicated to guilty people—every single one of us.

Exposing the false premise of the euthanasia movement to make a compelling case against assisted suicide, "Forced Exit" reveals the horrors of the Netherlands, where 8.5 percent of all deaths are attributed to assisted suicide and where Dutch doctors have rapidly moved from euthanizing the terminally ill to killing infants with birth defects.

Complicity is both structurally and conceptually a complex area of criminal law. This book seeks to explore and articulate complicity's theoretical foundations as a relatively self-contained criminalizing mechanism and to review its coherence within more general criminal law theory. Although the study's principal focus is English law, American and Commonwealth jurisdictions figure prominently to facilitate and inform discussion. This book will be of interest to criminal lawyers, both practioners and academics, as well as to students and scholars of criminal law.

Trusted for over 40 years for its authoritative account of medical law, this text provides the right balance between in-depth legal coverage and analysis of ethical issues.This classic textbook focuses on medical law and its relationship with medical practice and modern ethics. It provides thorough coverage of all topics found on medical law courses, and in-depth analysis of recent court decisions and legislation, encouraging students to thinkcritically about this area of study. - Covers the whole field of modern ethical medical practice, making the book suitable for use on all undergraduate and postgraduate medicallaw courses- Clearly sets a diversity of views in ethical debates, and offers the authors' own perspectives, encouraging students to explore and form their own opinions- Takes account of the influence of international policy and legal developments in shaping medical law in the UKNew to this edition:· Two brand new chapters introduce students to concepts, theories, and tools that frame interpretation and analysis ofhealth and medical law· A new chapter provides an overview of UK health systems and examines these in the context of devolution, the Covid-19 pandemic, and Brexit· The table of contents has beenreorganised and streamlined to enhance clarity and focus on current issues in the discipline· Includes coverage of developments such as the Health and Social Care Act 2022, Mental Health Bill 2022, Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021, Coronavirus Act 2020, new regimes for organ donation, Bell v Tavistock, ABC v St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, Khan v Meadows, and moreDigital formatsThis twelfth edition is availablefor students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats.The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features, and links that offer extra learningsupport: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks