1 Introduction

Subject(s):

Credit — Security interest — Financial regulation — Concept of money — Theories of money

The chapter introduces the subject by discussing the special nature of financial law and the markers that distinguish it from other areas of legal practice, and argues that financial law, although it usually is seen in detailed and very concrete form, is based on a number of established legal concepts. An understanding of legal rules in this area requires a deeper knowledge of the development of legal principles than is needed in many other areas. It then summarizes the characteristics of the topics selected for treatment in the later chapters.