ABSTRACT
The conceptual and theoretical underpinnings used in this book are presented in this chapter, beginning with a short introduction to the research field of law and emotion before focusing on the book’s grounding in the sociology of emotions and an interactionist framework. The emotions and emotion work of legal professionals are also presented along with the social world of the criminal trial positioning the book as a unique contribution revealing the loyalty work of defence lawyers. I introduce a new concept, namely the “emotional order” (drawing on Hochschild 1979, 1983), which I combine with Goffman’s (1983) “interaction order” and “ceremonial order” to constitute the “emotional regime of law” which builds on Reddy’s (2001) concept in order to highlight both the emotional and interactional components of emotional interactions.
