Law in Action

Ethnomethodologists and Conversation Analysts have always been interested in the study of law and legal institutions and there is now a large body of empirical studies, representing a range of analytic traditions in each field. This collection introduces this literature and the research questions pursued by ethnomethodologists and conversation analysts, in an accessible form to a general audience in the inter-disciplinary field of law and society studies. Contents: Ethnomethodology, conversation analysis and the sociology of law, John F. Manzo. Exemplary Studies: Introduction to part I, Max Travers; Practical sociological reasoning: some features in the work of the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, Harold Garfinkel; The lawyer’s work, Harvey Sacks; Contested evidence in courtroom cross-examination: the case of a trial for rape, Paul Drew; The presentation of victim and motive in discourse: the case of policy interrogations and interviews, Rod Watson; Preliminary notes on Judges’ work: the Judge as a constituent of courtroom hearings, Michael Lynch. Contemporary Contributions: Introduction to part II, Max Travers; I’m sorry we had to meed under these circumstances: verbal artistry (and wizardry) in the Kennedy Smith rape trial, Gregory Matoesian; Record-keeping practices in the policing of juveniles, Albert J. Meehan; Justice as a phenomenon of order: notes on the organization on a jury deliberation, Douglas W. Maynard and John F. Manzo; Remorse, redress and reform: blame-taking in the courtroom, Martha Komter; Practicing law: a study of pedagogic interchange in a law school classroom, Stacy Burns; Index.