Bristol University Press Law Through the Life Course

Court decisions are typically seen as one\-off interventions relating to an incident in a person’s life, but a legal decision can impact on the person as they were and the person they will become. This book is the first to explore the interactions of the law with the life course in order to understand the complex life journey as a whole. Jonathan Herring reveals how the law privileges ‘middle age’ to the detriment of the whole life story and explains why an understanding of the life course is important for lawyers. Relevant to those working in family law, elder law, medical law and ethics, jurisprudence, gender and the law, it will promote new thinking by exploring the engagement of the law with the life course of the self. Review <p>&#34;A rich, critical and interdisciplinary exploration of the various legal frameworks which shape, reflect and affect different stages of the life course&#34; Beverley Clough, University of Leeds</p><p>&#34;This book critically applies 'life course theory' to an examination of how the stages of life shape our laws, and how law's assumptions shape legal understanding of the stages of life. It interrogates whether such framing and compartmentalisation adequately reflect the complexity of lives and their development. A valuable, thought-provoking work.&#34; Stephen Gilmore, King's College, London</p><p>&#34;Could not be more timely or important, addressing a topic that has been long neglected both in legal studies and beyond. Accessible and insightful, it asks us to rethink our understanding of the relationship between law and age - highly recommended. --Richard Collier, Newcastle University About the Author Jonathan Herring is Vice Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Oxford. He researches and teaches on a range of law areas including Family Law, Criminal Law, Medical Law, Elder Law, Care Law, and Law and Vulnerability. He is the author of several best-selling law textbooks in these areas as well as a number of other books and articles. He is an editor for the Child and Family Law Quarterly.