Recent Book: The Lawyer and the Social Condition: Consumer Law

Published date01 July 1981
Date01 July 1981
DOI10.1177/0032258X8105400323
Subject MatterRecent Book
M. J.
LEGER:
Consumer Law. M. &E. Handbooks.
Macdonald &Evans. £2.50.
Legislation specifically tailored for the trading conduct there is a need to
consumer is a comparitively recent distinguish between the civil and criminal
innovation. Mr. Leder's excellent law as it affects consumer affairs and this
handbook, modest in cost and dimension Mr. Leder does most admirably. The
but not in content, is therefore most progress tests which
appear
at regular
timely and is recommended as an
intervals
throughout
the
text
invaluable reference for any student or encourage an in-depth study to enable
practitioner, or indeed the consumer the avid reader to acquire athorough
desirous of being well informed of the grasp of what is to many an uncertain
changed situation. area of the law.
In the absence of a unified code of J. B.
HARRISON
LIONEL
HAWARD:
Forensic Psychology.
Batsford Academic and Educational Ltd. £15.
The appearance of psychologists in court
as expert witnesses is of relatively recent
origin but isnow sufficiently
common
to
-have given rise to a branch of "applied
psychology which is concerned with the
collection.examinationand presentation
of evidence for judicial purposes". The
author
of this text book for forensic
psychologists is Professor of Clinical
Psychology at the University of Surrey;
he has appeared as an expert witness in
many well publicized trials such as Oz.
John
Stonehouse, Michael X and the
Black
Panther
and some of the more
interesting parts of this book are based
on those cases.
Professor. Haward's
approach
to his
subject is very practical even
down
to the
detail of where to sit when waiting to give
evidence and how to safeguard one's
personal property while in court; advice
firmly rooted in practical experience
since he "lost" an umbrella during the
course of a trial at the 'Old Bailey. The
text contains 33 case studies which
illustrate the part apsychologist has
played incourts and tribunals. The range
of topics covered is indicated by a table
containing the key questions from each
case. These include.
"What
evidence can
be offered to demonstrate possible errors
in the corroborated statements of two
police officers?" and
"Are
there any
psychological grounds arising from
evidence heard at the previous trial and
appeal which should be communicated
to the House of Lords?" The first
question was answered by setting up an
experiment replicating the lightling
conditions in a public convenience while
the second clearly indicated
that
it is one
thing to communicate with the House of
Lords but it is
another
thing to get their
Lordships to take any notice.
The
author
goes out of his way to make
the point
that
he is ready to give evidence
for the prosecution as the defence and
cites examples of cases in which he has
helped the police.
From
this point of
view, as well as the insight
that
is given
into the problems of giving evidence, the
book is of some interest to the police.
However. although it does not have the
feel of an expensive book. it costs£15 and
as a good deal of space is devoted to
matters of little interest to police it
cannot be described as good
valuefor
the
average police officer who might find his
eyebrows rising as he reads the 17 pages
on the subject offees. The
book
ends with
the advice that ". . . solicitors do on
occasions forget completely
about
an
expert's unpaid account, so that an
occasional
"to
a/
crendered" reminder,
perhaps on a six-monthly basis, serves to
keep the file open at their office." As you
can see, it is a very practical book.
JOAN
LOCK: Marlborough Street.
The
Story
of
a London Court.
Robert Hale. £7.50.
Joan
Lock presents a series of gripping
tales of the characters who worked and
appeared in the country's second best
known magistrates'
court
and of
that
July 1981
court's proceedings over the last century.
She was in a unique position having
served as a constable at West End
Central Police
Station
and being married
305

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