Graeco-Roman New Comedy has traditionally provided a source for legal historians examining the language and operation of law both in Athens in the fourth century and in Rome in the second century BC. Drawing on the recent work of legal historians and anthropologists on the one hand, and traditional philologists on the other, Adele Scafuro provides the first comprehensive treatment in English of one crucial area of this vast field, namely, the way legal disputes are settled outside of court in Athens, both on and off the comic stage. Beginning with a close examination of pre-trial scenarios (e.g. summonses, arrests, arbitrations, family councils) in the Attic orators and looking for comparable ones in sources for pre-classical Roman law, Dr. Scafuro then turns to the plays of Greek New Comedy and their adaptations by Plautus and Terence. There she identifies similar scenarios especially in disputes concerning sexual violations, the marriage of heiresses, and divorces. While Dr. Scafuro�s study makes original contributions to the study of extra-judicial dispute settlement in Athens and in pre-classical Rome, it is designed for readers unfamiliar with Athenian and Roman law and shows how the recognition of legal procedures may be a useful tool for broader cultural and literary interpretations of New Comedy texts.