The Pursuit of Justice

Lord Woolf's judicial career has spanned four decades, culminating in five years as Lord Chief Justice. Now 26 of his most influential papers and lectures are published together for the first time. They present a remarkable overview and commentary on the judicial and legal reforms of recent decades, and span a huge range of issues including the rule of law and the constitution, the role of judges, access to justice, human rights, medicine, the environment, crime and penal reform. Each paper discusses the challenges that have arisen in English common law in recent times and the way they have been solved or attempted to be solved to ensure that justice is done - so that arrests and searches are made properly, that there are fair hearings, readily available lawful remedies, and the removal of unnecessary costs and delays. In his introductory chapter, Lord Woolf provides a fresh account of his current thinking on key legal areas resonating from the main topics and themes presented in the papers. The Pursuit of Justice offers an unparalleled insight into the views of one of the most influential figures in recent British legal history.

Chronology. Preface. Introduction. PART 1: THE ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM. 1. A Question of Balance. 2. Remedies. 3. Droit Public - English Style. 4. The Education the Justice System Requires Today. PART II: THE CONSTITUTION AND THE JUDICIARY. 5. Magna Carta: A Precedent for Recent Constitutional Change. 6. The Rule of Law and a Change in the Constitution. 7. Judicial Review: The Tensions Between the Executive and Judiciary. 8. Should the Media and the Judiciary be on Speaking Terms?. 9. Judicial Independence Not Judicial Isolation. 10. The Needs of a 21st Century Judge. 11. Current Challenges in Judging. 12. The Impact of Human Rights. 13. Human Rights and Minorities. PART III: CRIME AND PENAL REFORM. 14. The Strangeways Prison Report: Overview and Recommendations. 15. Strangeways: A Decade of Change?. 16. Do We Need a New Approach to Penal Policy?. 17. A Justice System the Community Owns. 18. Making Sense of Sentencing. PART IV: CIVIL JUSTICE. 19. Access to Justice Final Report: Overview. 20. Medics, Lawyers and the Courts- A Defence of the Access to Justice Recommendations. 21. Are the Courts Excessively Deferential to the Medical Profession?. 22. Are the Judiciary Environmentally Myopic?. 23. Environmental Law and Sustainable Development. PART V: INTERNATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEMS. 24. The International Role of the Judiciary. 25. The Rule of Law and the Development of a Modern Economy in China. 26. The Rule of Law and Harmony in China.

Lord Woolf is former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales; currently Privy Councillor and non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong; Bencher of the Inner Temple; Member of Blackstone Chambers; Fellow, Council Chairman and Visiting Professor of Law, University College London. Christopher Campbell-Holt currently works as a researcher at the international law firm, Norton Rose LLP. Chris is Consulting Editor and Director of Business Development of the legal philosophy journal, the UCL Jurisprudence Review, and has worked as a research assistant at the UCL Constitution Unit where he contributed to preparation for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act for the Department of Constitutional Affairs; and at Landmark Chambers where he researched legal developments in the areas of property, planning and public law for Local Authorities & Human Rights, Drabble, Maurici, and Buley (OUP, 2004).