The sociology of law has made impressive progress over the last decades. The present volume brings together scholars from Austria, Britain, Germany and Scandinavia to discuss major developments. The book starts with analyses of the sociology of law advanced by the most outstanding theorists in the field, Max Weber and Niklas Luhmann. Their legacy is assessed by Hubert Treiber, Frank Welz and Inger-Johanne Sand. Next, Hakan Hyden emphases the gain sociology of law could have from a stronger focus on norms. Armin Holand and Ole Hammerslev ask about the effects courts have. Klaus F. Rohl provides an international overview on "alternatives of law," one of the main topics of socio-legal studies since the 1960s. The final article by Stefan Machura in this volume addresses the media's impact on the public's perception of the legal system.