This dictionary has been written by a distinguished team of academic and practising lawyers. It is intended primarily for those without a qualification in law who nevertheless require some legallmowledge in the course oftheir work: chartered surveyors and accountants, civil servants and local-government officers, social workers and probation officers, as well as businessmen and legal secretaries are typical examples of those whose work often calls for a knowledge of the precise meaning (and spelling) of a legal term.