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* Offers a comprehensive history of a major judicial institution as it prepares to transfer its position to the new UK Supreme Court
* Includes contributions from over 40 leading lawyers and legal historians, including several current and former members of the House of Lords
* Features perspectives on the influence of the House beyond the UK, including contributions on international law from Rosalyn Higgins, and EU law from Sir Francis Jacobs and David Anderson

The House of Lords has served as the highest court in the UK for over 130 years. In 2009 a new UK Supreme Court will take over its judicial functions, closing the doors on one of the most influential legal institutions in the world, and a major chapter in the history of the UK legal system.

This volume gathers over 40 leading scholars and practitioners from the UK and beyond to provide a comprehensive history of the House of Lords as a judicial institution, charting its role, working practices, reputation and impact on the law and UK legal system. The book examines the origins of the House's judicial work; the different phases in the court's history; the international reputation and influence of the House in the legal profession; the domestic perception of the House outside the law; and the impact of the House on the UK legal tradition and substantive law.

The book offers an invaluable overview of the Judicial House of Lords and a major historical record for the UK legal system as it opens the next chapter in its history.

Readership: Students of UK law, constitution and history; legal practitioners; judges and court administrators; journalists; political scientists and politicians.