The origins of this book lie in a long series of conversations between the editors reflecting their overlapping interests in the overlapping preoccupations, methodologies, and evolutionary trajectories of public law and private law. These issues were discussed and debated in the more formal setting of a workshop held at Edinburgh University in 2011, where each of the contributors presented versions of the chapters which make up this volume. The workshop was generously sponsored by Edinburgh Law School, and warmly supported by its then Dean, Professor Douglas Brodie. His successor, Professor Lesley McAra continued that support and we are much indebted to both of them. The workshop itself was organized and run with consummate efficiency by Lorna Gallacher of the Law School without whose help and input we could not have managed. We also owe a debt of gratitude to those workshop participants who did not hesitate to accept our invitation to attend and comment on the papers; namely, Mike Wilkinson, Emilios Christodoulidis, Chris Himsworth, Chrisopther McCorkindale, and Jennifer Hendry. The preparation of the manuscript for the current volume could not have proceeded without the sterling efforts help of Mark Boni, who copy-edited individual chapters, and the logistical support of Natasha Flemming and the inhouse editors at Oxford University Press. We are grateful to them all. Finally, we would like to thank our families for putting up with so many project-related absences before, during, and after the workshop and in the course of editing the volume.