The Promise of Law Reform is the most comprehensive examination of the institutions and processes of law reform published in the common law world and provides a rich source of information, inspiration, and ideas. It is an edited collection of 30 essays published to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Australian Law Reform Commission.

The authors--law reform commissioners, judges, academics, politicians, government officials, and journalists--reflect the plurality of law reform styles and structures, within Australia and overseas.

They cover the broad themes of the history, purpose, and function of law reform; institutional design of law reform agencies; methodology and operations; how successful law reform should be assessed and judged; cooperation and mutual assistance; other law reform initiatives; and law reform in action.

Table of Contents

PART A: HISTORY, PURPOSE AND FUNCTION
CHAPTER 1: A History of Law Reform in Australia - Michael Tilbury
CHAPTER 2: The Future for Institutional Law Reform - David Weisbrot
CHAPTER 3: A Vision of Tidiness: Codes, Consolidations and Statute Law Revision - Edward Caldwell

PART B: INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN
CHAPTER 4: Institutional Architecture - Kate Warner
CHAPTER 5: Independence and Accountability of Law Reform Agencies - Peter Hennessy
CHAPTER 6: Continuity, Discontinuity, Stasis and Innovation - Roderick Macdonald
CHAPTER 7: Initiation and Selection of Projects - J Bruce Robertson

PART C: METHODS AND OPERATIONS
CHAPTER 8: Strategic and Project Planning - Anne Rees
CHAPTER 9: Research - Martin Partington
CHAPTER 10: Targeted Consultations - Ian Davis
CHAPTER 11: Law Reform and Community Participation - Roslyn Atkinson
CHAPTER 12: Relations with the Media - David Solomon

PART D: OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES
CHAPTER 13: Products of Law Reform Agencies - Lani Blackman
CHAPTER 14: Measuring Success - Brian Opeskin
CHAPTER 15: Implementation - John Hannaford

PART E: CO-OPERATION AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
CHAPTER 16: Leadership and Ideas: Law Reform in a Federation - Nathalie Des Rosiers
CHAPTER 17: Co-operation across Frontiers - Michael Sayers

PART F: OTHER LAW REFORM INITIATIVES
CHAPTER 18: Professional and Private Bodies - Ralph Simmonds
CHAPTER 19: Law Reform Agencies and Royal Commissions: Toiling in the Same Field? - Ronald Sackville
CHAPTER 20: Law Reform through the Executive - Laurie Glanfield
CHAPTER 21: Law Reform and the Legislature - Marise Payne
CHAPTER 22: Law Reform and the Courts - Sir Anthony Mason

PART G: LAW REFORM IN ACTION
CHAPTER 23: The Growth of Civil Justice Reform - Peter Sallmann
CHAPTER 24: Challenges to Criminal Justice Reform - David Brown
CHAPTER 25: Law Reform and Social Justice - Marcia Neave
CHAPTER 26: Science, Medicine and Health and the Work of the Australian Law Reform Commission - Don Chalmers
CHAPTER 27: Law Reform and Legal Education: Uniting Separate Worlds - Michael Coper
CHAPTER 28: The Challenge of Law Reform in Pacific Island States - Guy Powles
CHAPTER 29: The Challenge of Law Reform in Southern Africa - Mwangala Kamuwanga
CHAPTER 30: Are We There Yet? - Michael Kirby
Index