In this set of three essays, originally presented as the 2006 Hamlyn Lectures, Sir Francis Jacobs tries to address some basic questions. What is the function of law today? How has it developed so that it now seems sometimes the final arbiter on social, ethical and political questions? How does law relate to various values - how, for example, does it reflect social values, and how does it influence those values? With three main themes, each chapter looks at law in relation to a different set of values. The first might be termed constitutional values; the second, social or societal values; the third, law and economy, looking at different economic systems. In addressing these themes, the book will look ‘horizontally’ at different legal systems starting from law and the State, but will point to the need for, and the advantages and disadvantages of, a wider dimension in some areas.