Foreword

• Author: Thomas A Cromwell CC.
• Pages: 15-16

xv

FOR E WOR D

A fourth edition already! The only thing better t han a good legal text

is a good legal text that is current. Once again, Professor Coughlan

has stayed on top of this quick ly developing field and provided a new

edition that takes account of the sig nificant developments in the law

since the release of his t hird edition. While no furt her evidence of

Professor Coughlan’s talent or industry is needed, this fourth edition

demonstrates that neither is on t he wane. In keeping the book so cur-

rent, Professor Coughlan has en sured that it will conti nue to serve the

profession well, both as a mature overv iew of the underlying princi-

ples and as an up-to-date resource of the leading jurispr udence and

scholarly commentary. Particularly welcome is the ex tensive update of

the chapter on search and sei zure, one of the most important and most

quickly evolving areas of cr iminal procedure.

That a sophisticated overview is much needed cannot be in doubt.

In crimina l procedure, as Professor Coughlan astutely obser ves,

important questions of legal principle and societal values underlie

almost every question. The complex technicality of the subject must be

mastered, but not to the neglect of the underlying funda mental princi-

ples and deeply held values that are in play. Each edition of this book

has succeeded in striking this ba lance: the rules are there, but they are

always placed in the broader context of the underlying pr inciples and

values.

As with previous editions, this fourth edition offers a quickly

accessible and sure-footed guide over tricky ter rain. But that is not all: