Many people, and practitioners, assume that 'rights' are the preserve of the criminal law system: such as the rights of an accused to be informed of the charge against him/her; or the right to be brought before a court promptly after arrest. This assumption is false and one which this book is intended to dispel. The Human Rights Act 1998 affects all areas of law: civil and criminal. It is designed to bring changes to legal techniques such as the interpretation of legislation, as well as altering the substantive law and existing procedural rules. With the recognition of individual rights, such as the right to respect for private or family life, or the right to a fair trial, the Act effects significant changes in the law from personal and medical law to family law, from employment to environment law, and from land law to public law.;This title offers the civil practitioner a concise guide to the most important legal development since the UK's accession to the Treaty of Rome - the Human Rights Act 1998. Its aim is to help the reader to recognize, tackle and exploit the human rights points in cases with confidence.