Legal reform is a process of examining laws and proposing changes that improve them. This includes rewriting laws, modifying existing ones, or even creating new ones. The goal of legal reform is to make the law more fair and effective.
In the long run, a society’s legal system will generate a form that fits its institutions and norms. A feudal culture will generate a legal system that reflects those structures and norms, while a capitalist or socialist culture will shift its laws to suit its own systems and cultures. However, in the short run, it is very difficult to predict what exactly a change in a legal system will look like — and how it might influence societal structures and cultures.
One of the most important reasons to study law reform is to understand how these transformations happen. It is often the case that a single scandal, incident or “horror story” sparks significant change in a legal system. The media can also play a powerful role, spreading these stories from place to place.
It is also important to emphasize to students the role of submissions made by members of the public and organisations in the law reform process. This can be a great way to get students interested in studying and supporting a specific area of law reform. For example, the recent work on law reform in Australia around Carly’s Law and marriage equality is a good opportunity to discuss how such a change might come about.
About the Author
