This collection of works explores 'the basic architecture' of law in India. A major theme is the changing way in which the legal system introduced in India by the British has co-existed with forms of authority outside the state. Discussions on contemporary developments include consideration of the emergence of New York style corporate law firms and, parallel to this, the persistence of informal dispute settlement including among groups as diverse as the diamondtraders of Mumbai and the dhobis or washer folk of rural Rajasthan.