Description: The lawyer-dominated adversary system of criminal trial, which now typifies practice in Anglo-American legal systems, developed in England in the eighteenth century. Using hitherto unexplored sources from London's Old Bailey Court, Professor Langbein shows how and why lawyers were able to capture the trial, and he supplies a path-breaking account of the formation of the law of criminal evidence.
Review Quotes: "...an extraordinarily interesting book, based on deep research and advanced in a remarkably cogent fashion."-- TLS
"The Origins of Adversary Criminal Trial is a most valuable study. Langbein has done hard historical spade work, going through scores of dusty forgotten papers to help trace the development. It is exciting to read about the development of hearsay rules, of the right to counsel, and of other rights of defendants. But Langbein's book is also valuable for its relevance to how we interpret and use the law even today. It adds to our understanding of the life of the law."--The Federal Lawyer"...persuasive and meticulously researched, delivering messages as powerful as they are timely."--Law and History Review