The classic and groundbreaking study of trial courts and other dispute processes - and foundational ways to think about researching them - is now available in a modern, updated edition. It is edited by Professors Keith O. Boyum and Lynn Mather, and contains chapters from the leading theorists about courts and their research. Much cited and relevant today in how it frames the analysis of courts, this book's new republication features an additional Introduction and Afterword by the editors, with updates, and a new Foreword by Christina L. Boyd. As Boyd writes, "For nearly all civil and criminal cases the traditional model of court as a judge-dominated, formal adversary process of adjudication does not hold. What exists instead ... is so variable, complex, and dynamic that a proper study of courts must return to first principles. And that is precisely what an all-star list of interdisciplinary court scholars, many of whom have established storied careers as trial court experts, does so well within the chapters of this book." She adds: "I find the text to be very contemporary. Empirical Theories About Courts' design to focus on theory building rather than simply examining discrete datasets or engaging in data mining of a single set of observations is a key factor in the book's longevity." The 2015 paperback edition includes the updating new material and contemporary presentation. (NOTE: Only the new edition from Quid Pro Books, adding a new Foreword by Dr. Boyd, includes these added features and updates, even if this description appears on sales pages for used copies of the previous edition.) A new ebook edition is also available. Part of the Classics of Law & Society Series from Quid Pro Books.

Keith O. Boyum is a retired Associate Vice Chancellor of the California State University system and Professor of Political Science Emeritus at California State University, Fullerton. Lynn Mather is SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Professor of Law and Political Science at SUNY Buffalo Law School.