Law and Language

This volume features essays by scholars exploring the interplay between law and language, addressing themes such as interpretation, translation, and non-verbal communication across various legal contexts, including criminal and contract law.

Law and Language, the latest installment in the Current Legal Issues series, presents a diverse collection of essays from scholars exploring the intricate relationship between law and language. This volume delves into significant themes such as the concept of truth in both language and legal contexts, as well as the crucial role that language plays across various legal domains, including contract and criminal law.

The Current Legal Issues series, which includes its counterpart Current Legal Problems, is rooted in an annual colloquium at University College London. Each year, prominent scholars from around the globe convene to discuss the interplay between law and other academic disciplines. These discussions focus on how external fields are perceived within legal frameworks, how legal arguments are shaped by these disciplines, and the controversies surrounding the use of non-legal arguments in legal theory and practice.

As the fifteenth volume in the series, Law and Language offers valuable insights into the academic discourse surrounding the connection between linguistic elements and legal principles. The book addresses various challenges, including issues of interpretation, legal translation, and non-verbal communication, exemplified by a chapter on the use of sign language at the Old Bailey. Furthermore, it explores the intersection of language and law in literary works, such as Shakespeare's Hamlet, and examines their implications across several legal contexts, including criminal law, contract law, family law, human rights law, and EU law.