Lives of the law selected essays and speeches 2000-2010

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Constitution and the Rule of Law -- Looking Backward -- 1. Magna Carta -- 2. The Alabama Claims and the International Rule of Law -- 3. Dicey Revisited -- 4. The Evolving Constitution -- 5. The Old Order Changeth -- Looking Forward -- 6. A Written Constitution? -- 7. The Future of the House of Lords -- The Business of Judging -- 8. The Judges: Active or Passive? -- 9. Government and Judges: Friends or Enemies? -- 10. The Highest Court in the Land -- Human Rights and Human Wrongs -- 11. The Human Rights Act: The View from the Bench -- 12. Personal Freedom and the Dilemma of Democracies -- 13. Habeas Corpus -- 14. 'The Law Favours Liberty': Slavery and the English Common Law -- 15. I Beg Your Pardon -- The Common Law -- 16. From Servant to Employee : A Study of the Common Law in Action -- 17. A Duty of Care : The Uses of Tort -- 18. The Law as the Handmaiden of Commerce -- 19. A New Thing under the Sun? The Interpretation of Contracts and the ICS Decision -- 20. The Internationalization of the Common Law -- Lives of the Law -- 21. Dr Johnson and the Law -- 22. Mr Bentham is Present.

Tom Bingham (1933-2010) was the 'greatest judge of our time' (The Guardian), a towering figure in modern British public life who championed the rule of law and human rights inside and outside the courtroom. Lives of the Law collects Bingham's most important later writings, in which he brings his distinctive, engaging style to tell the story of the diverse lives of the law: its life in government, in business, and in human wrongdoing. Following on from 'The Business of Judging' (2000), the papers collected here tackle some of the major debates in British public life over the last decade, from reforming the constitution to the growth of human rights law. They offer Bingham's distinctive insight on issues such as the role of the judiciary in a democracy, the implementation of the Human Rights Act, and the development of the rule of law, in the UK and internationally.