A New Series to Tell the Many Stories of Law

The Legal Studies Series was created “from the need to give a voice, through a written manifestation, to the diverse group of people that make up the department – each person with their own peculiarities. It is therefore a general-interest series, which is also a testimony to the academic growth of individuals,” explains Cesare Cavallini, Full Professor of Law for Civil Procedure and Head of the Department of Legal Studies at Bocconi University. In addition to the contributions of various authors, the series will also collect the proceedings of significant symposia, both domestic and – above all – international. It will be published by Egea under the Bocconi University Press brand and will include both Italian and English volumes. “This is to highlight the admittedly international scope of the initiative,” emphasizes Cavallini, “although a good number of the Italian volumes are meant to recall the department’s attention also to the domestic sphere (albeit with a clear international and comparative vocation) – a sphere that still represents a key opportunity in the scientific area of jurists everywhere.” As the director underlines, the initiative “is important for the department’s academic reputation as well”, lending space to exclusively scientific – and not informational – texts, in the precise form of the scientific monograph. “It is also a career opportunity for young faculty members, to which the department should pay the utmost attention for the future development of human resources who know how to combine the domestic and international aspects as an unfailing hallmark of the Bocconian jurist.” Cesare Cavallini concludes by recalling that “the texts, before being sent to the editor for publication, will be reviewed by a committee comprised of Marta Cartabia, Full Professor of Constitutional Law and Dean for Social Engagement and Institutional Affairs; Pietro Sirena, Full Professor of Civil Law and Dean of the Law School; and myself – which will then be subjected to an external peer review. Regarding international texts, however, a special International Board has been formed that includes members from some of the most prestigious international universities, who have willingly accepted the initiative.” Opening the series are two volumes already in bookstores; the first of which is Class Action and New Forms Of Aggregate Litigation In The United States by Arthur R. Miller and Helen Herskhoff, with a foreword by Marta Cartabia and Cesare Cavallini. The authors focused on the origin and development of collective action, its usefulness in countering racial and gender inequalities and market failures, and the possibilities and limits of aggregate litigation to resolve some of the most critical issues of our time – touching on technological changes, environmental degradation, economic inequality and decline in democracy. The second volume, Nient'altro che la verità? Funzioni giuridiche del discorso aletico by Elena Marchese, is dedicated to investigating the aspects of truth and procedural knowledge in criminal cases and international protection proceedings.