Duncan and Neill is a leading authority on defamation law and other related types of action, and as such is an essential edition to the legal library of all practitioners specialising in this area, as well as students/academics and generalists who require a clear overview of the subject.

It is a concise and comprehensive work on defamation, but also covers privacy, misuse of private information, malicious falsehood, harassment and data protection. Previous editions have been cited frequently by first instance and appellate courts.

The new fifth edition will cover developments in the law and practice of the areas covered in the book since the last edition, including:

* The latest law and practice on the determination of 'meaning', and the approach of the courts to publications on social media following the Supreme Court decision in Stocker v Stocker

* What the 'serious harm' test means in light of the Supreme Court decision in Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd

* How the 'public interest' defence looks after the Supreme Court decision in Serafin v Malkiewicz

* Developments in cases with an international element, including on jurisdiction and the 'libel tourism' provision

* Up-to-date guide to practice and procedure, following the effective abolition of jury trial for defamation cases and the creation of the 'Media and Communications' List

* Covers key developments in related causes of action, eg claims for misuse of private information and for harassment, and the data protection regime as it applies to publication cases