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7 See Part Two for more on justifying and imposing limits on the law. 3 See Chapter Two for tort law’s conception of justice and account of harm. See Chapter Three for deconstructing arguments in torts cases. The need for limits Tort law needs limits. The requirement for limits on the scope and reach of the law is a consistent theme in the law of torts, and our need to limit the law takes three forms, each of which is directly related to the three most important dimensions of a tort, namely, wrongdoing, harm, and doing justice in response.

It concludes by reflecting upon how successful some of those solutions are, identifying some of the criticism that has been levelled at the law of torts, and considering the suggestion that the system does not deliver upon its promise of justice. 2 See Chapter Two for how judges and parliaments have shaped the law of torts. 1 Tort law’s heart of uncertainty It is not possible to define a tort precisely. 1 of this chapter, and this suggests that the notion of ‘a tort’ is somewhat artificial. This ambiguity that lies at the heart of the law of torts is highly significant—and it is pervasive.

Part 1 Preparing for Success How to use Part 1 This part of Connecting with Tort Law contains four chapters that will prepare you for success and encourage you to develop a strategy that is consciously focused on mastering the two equally important aspects of knowledge and skills acquisition. Many students feel quite comfortable with the law when they hear it being explained and discussed in classes—but they do not always understand what to do with that knowledge. The key to success is to realise that your study strategy should be based around: ■■ ■■ organising your knowledge of the content by constructing effective assessment based tools (eg, case notes, summaries of the law and problem solving checklists); and then using those tools to gain the necessary legal skills through practising and preparing for common assessment tasks.