Chapter 1
Introduction
Purpose
Law
Tasks
Method
Purpose
This book describes methods or techniques for working with law. These
techniques provide major advantages for law students and lawyers. Mastering
legal technique requires rigorous intellectual training. Possessing a good
technique enhances the capacity of a student to learn law and the capacity of a
lawyer to work with law.
There is a strong motive to have a good technique when working with law. In
the 21st century the amount of information to be processed is increasing, as is
the rate of increase, while the time potentially available to process this
information stays the same. One of the major means of dealing with this
situation is to make better use of available time by improving techniques for
working with information. Doing this for law will enable legal information to be
delivered in a clearer way by those who prepare it, and processed more
efficiently by those who use it.
Law
Introduction
As an explanation for students commencing their studies law can be conceived
as having a wide and a narrow scope depending on how one wants to look at
it. The narrow scope is law as a set of rules, while the broad scope is law as a
social science. This can be illustrated by a diagram:
Law as a Social Science
Sociology
Philosophy
Psychology
Law as Rules
Statutes
Common Law
History
Linguistics
Management
Economics
Literature
Law as a Social Science
Figure 1.1 Nature of Law
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