WHAT IS LAW? I think the first duty of society is justice. Alexander Hamilton

 Start-up

Discuss the following questions:

1. What is law?

2. Why do people need laws?

3. Why do people obey laws?

4. Should people obey the law if they feel that it is not fair?

5. What is justice?

 Vocabulary

EXERCISE 1. Fill in the table according to the given example. Not all the forms will be used for each word. Use dictionary, if necessary. Translate the words into Russian.

Verb	Noun (thing or concept)	Noun (person)	Adjective
settle
behave
enforce	enforcement
concern
implicate
limit	limitation		limited
implement
administer		administrator
involve
dispute	dispute	disputant	disputatious
litigate	litigation	litigant	litigious

EXERCISE 2. Choose the correct word from the list to complete each sentence. Translate the sentences into Russian.

disputes settled enforced behavior administer

settlement concerns implication limit involved

implicated enforcement implemented litigation

1. The two companies _________ their dispute out of court.

2. ________ between Russian organizations and foreign firms are often settled by Arbitration Commission.

3. Certain kinds of disputes should be referred for _________ to arbitration.

4. Society has a right to protection from illegal _________.

5. The courts _________ justice by hearing cases.

6. Private law _________ disputes among citizens within a country.

7. He smiled, but the _________ was that he didn’t believe me.

8. The police found the letter which _________ him in the robbery.

9. He refused to be _________.

10. We must ________ ourselves to an hour.

11. The committee’s ideas will be __________ immediately.

12. __________ is legal contest.

13. A new training for law __________ officers was organized.

14. Laws made by governments are _________ against all citizens.

EXERCISE 3. Make these words negative by adding the appropriate prefix:

in, un, im, il, dis.

__legal __formal __limited __moral __necessary __obey

__lawful __fair __just __ability __reasonable __justice

 Reading and language study

What is Law?

(I) In the opinion of many people, the law is a necessary evil that should be used only when everyday, informal ways of settling disputes break down. If our neighbor plays loud music late at night, we probably try to discuss the matter with him rather than consulting the police, lawyers or the courts. Only when a neighbor refuses to behave reasonably we start thinking about legal implications of everyday activities.

(II) The English word “law” refers to limits upon various forms of behavior. So, a law is a statement or rule that tells us what we may or may not do. In all societies, relations between people are regulated by laws. Some of them are customs, that is, informal rules of social and moral behavior. Some are rules we accept if we belong to particular social institutions, such as, religious, educational and cultural groups. And some are precise laws made by governments and enforced against all citizens within their power.

(III) What motives do governments have in making and enforcing laws? Social control is one purpose. Public law concerns disputes between citizens and the state or between one state and another. Private law concerns disputes among citizens within a country. Another purpose is the implementation of justice. Justice is a concept that most people feel is very important but few are able to define. Sometimes a just decision is simply a decision that most people feel is fair. It is often said that justice is blind. It means that the law is not concerned with personalities or whether litigants are powerful or weak, good or bad or black or white. Bejamin Disraeli (1804-1881) said: “Justice is truth in action”. Justice is certainly not deaf and will listen to any reasonable claim. The courts administer justice by hearing cases. Law is also used as a mechanism for social change. For instance, at various times laws have been passed to inhibit social discrimination and improve the quality of individual life in matters of health, education, and welfare.

(IV) It seems that people all over the world are becoming more accustomed to using legal means to regulate their relations with each other. Companies employ experts to ensure that their contracts are lawful whenever they do business. Non-industrialized tribes in South Africa use lawyers to stop governments from destroying the rainforests where they live. Ordinary citizens can nowadays challenge the decisions of their governments in courts of law. When it helps people to reach just agreements across social, economic and even international barriers, law seems a good thing. However, when it involves time and money and highlights people’s inability to cooperate informally, law seems to be an evil but a necessary one that everyone should have a basic knowledge of.

(Adapted from Law Today by Richard Powell)

EXERCISE 4. Scan the text and find definitions to these legal terms:

• Law

• Public law

• Private law

EXERCISE 5. Read the text and answer the following questions: