The Civil Law Tradition, 3rd Edition: An Introduction to the Legal Systems of Europe and Latin America

For someone like me, who lives inside the civil law tradition, and sometimes has the feeling that there is something wrong with the way cases are solved, this book is a truly eye opener, because Professor Merryman shows you there is another way of doing things. And pretty soon you start comparing the two solutions. Having read this book I was given an "helicopter view" of the Law. And leaving the civil law tradition, even if only in a mind journey to other traditions, gives you a much better insight into the whole stuff. Also, great historical background of the current law traditions. Don't miss this book.

I do some work in South America, China, and the EU. I wanted a quick study of the common law and I found this book gave me sufficient knowledge to talk intelligently with my colleagues. I think that its a great basic primer on the civil law written on a very professional level.

This is an excellent, though fairly short, introduction to the "civil law tradition," most of which was started by the Code Napoleon post-Revolution in France.It compares that tradition (heavy on the legislative function, light on the judicial function) with the common law tradition (Britain, US, Canada, Australia, etc.), which is heavier on the judicial function (esp. in the US, given the pre-eminence of the Constitution).It seems to be aimed at lawyers but it does not exclude others.Certain points (e.g., stare decisis) could certainly "stand" a fuller explanation (very important to the common law tradition, esp. in the US and Canada), but overall this is an excellent book.

This work, now in its third edition, is a useful primer for those who would like to understand the basics of the civil law tradition. Civil law systems are unfamiliar to most people who live and study in common law countries like the UK and US, but they're the predominant type of legal system in much of the world, so it's worth learning about them. Merryman's classic work gives a concise history of the development of civil law, which helps to explain some of its foundational principles and forms. He also explains how systems in this tradition generally operate today. An excellent and highly readable book.

A brilliant book. I was trained in common law but have studied and worked in a civil law country. After reading this book I realise so much of what I thought were idiosyncrasies with that legal system are in fact simply manifestations of the civil law tradition. This book has given me the necessary background and framework through which to view this and other legal systems. It would, however, be great for all common lawyers to understand this basic overview of the civl law tradition so as to better understand our own system and its strengths and weaknesses.

As a civil law student it was interesting to get an outside view of our system. Albeit some descriptions seems old and not in-actual, this book was overall very interesting and thought provoking. It was also rather easy to read, something that is not very common for literature on law.

I'm a common law lawyer and found this a concise summary of civil law tradition. I particularly like the historical perspective offered. Look forward to fourth edition.

I got this book before getting an LLM from a civil law country so I could leverage my training in US law in europe. (So I'd know what carries over). It worked.

Great book, delivered on time. My recommendations for book and seller. If you are new to comparative law history this book is great place to start.