English_for_Lawyers_2011

Unit 3. Sources of Modern Law. Section 1. Legislation

2.Complete the following sentences according to the information from the text:

1.A statute governs

2.A statute must be…

3.A legislature sets down…

4.Civil code systems can be contrasted to…

5.Traditional civil law is an example of…

6.Lower authorities may publish…

7.Rulemaking is a process of…

3.Here are the answers to some questions. Ask the questions.

1.A statute.

2.A regulation.

3.Constitutional law.

4.Written law.

5.The force of law.

III. VOCABULARY STUDY

1.Find words in the text that mean the same.

Law, to differentiate, classified, to include, lawmaking

2. Fill each gap with a suitable word from the box. Use each word once only.

The first civilization to …. its laws was ancient Babylon. The first real set of codified laws, the Code of Hammurabi, was compiled circa 1760 BC by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, and is the earliest known … code. The first… system of codified …could be found in China, with the compilation of the Tang Code in CE 624. This formed the basis of the Chinese criminal code, which was then replaced by the Great Qing Legal Code, which was in turn… in 1912 following the Revolution and the establishment of the Republic of China. The new laws of the Republic of China were inspired by the German codified work, the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch. A very influential… in Europe was the French Napoleonic code of 1804.

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PART I. Legal Systems

3 Match an adjective to a noun.

4.Complete the chart with the different parts of speech (noun, verb and adjective). Use your dictionary to help you with the pronunciation.

5.Rewrite the sentences, using the word in the italics in a different word class.

Example:

We had a long discussion about the law. We discussed the law for a long time.

1. Contrary to popular belief, the common law has been codified in many jurisdictions in many areas.

Many jurisdictions contain … of common law.

2.The teacher gave us advice about statutes organized ("codified") by subject matter.

The teacher….

3.We had a lot of difficulty in learning modern civil code systems. It was….

4.I felt that the article of existing laws needed more information. I had…

6.Сomplete the following with the correct auxiliary verb in the positive or negative form. Check your answers with the text.

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Unit 3. Sources of Modern Law. Section 1. Legislation

1.A statute ... govern a family.

2.The word «statute» ... often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law and the regulations issued by government agencies.

3.Statutes... sometimes referred to as legislation.

4.In many nations statutory law... subordinate to constitutional law.

5.Common law ... written law.

7. Translate into English.

Правова карта світу досить різноманітна. Кожна країна має власну систему права. Інколи на терені однієї країни діють різні правові системи. Так, шотландське право суттєво відрізняється від англійського, хоча обидві правові системи діють у межах однієї країни – Великої Британії. Країни можуть належати до різних соціально-економічних формацій, у них можуть бути різні форми державного устрою, різні політичні режими, що не може не відбиватися на нормах права і формуванні правових систем. Статутне право є системою законів, які приймаються парламентом, а також підзаконних нормативних актів, прийнятих на виконання законів. Їх називають делегованим або допоміжним законодавством. Закон Англії про делеговані акти 1946 р. ввів поняття «акт, що видається на підставі статуту». Нормотворчими повноваженнями наділяються різні органи. Насамперед це уряд, королева, міністри, місцеві органи. Більшу частину делегованого законодавства становить урядова нормотворчість. Вона існує в різних формах: укази короля в Раді, правила, накази, інструкції тощо. Особливе місце серед актів урядової нормотворчості належить тим, що приймаються на підставі надзвичайних законів, за невиконання яких передбачені кримінальні санкції. Місцеві органи влади наділені правом видавати постанови та інструкції, сфера дії яких обмежена відповідною територією.

IV. GRAMMAR FOCUS

1.Point out sentences with Passive Voice in the text and explain the use.

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PART I. Legal Systems

2. Read the text. Use the correct form of the Passive Voice.

STATUTES FREE ON WEB

Thursday 05 October 2006

The on-line statute law database moved closer to reality last month when the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) told users that the final Web-based system will be fundamentally free to use.

The decision .... (to reveal) in a newsletter from the DCA’s Statutory Publications Office (SPO), announcing the end of the first public ‘beta’ test phase of the database.

The next phase ... (to expect) to have more than twice the number of users from a wider audience, including members of the public.

Until now it has been unclear how the DCA would operate a charging element for the database (see (2006) Gazette, 30 March, 11). But it appears that pressure from various sources has won the day – the SPO said the Web ‘will be launched free of charge to the public once piloting is complete. A commercial strategy ... (to develop), but will primarily be looking at options that concern the commercial reuse of data’ as well as functionality for ‘specialist users’.

The Law Society welcomed the move. A spokeswoman said: ‘We ... (to please) that this is being made available to everyone free of charge. The database will be a useful resource for solicitors and others.’

However, she added that it needs to present both current and historical data, as ‘an Act of Parliament may be considerably changed after it has come into force, and both the original text and the later changes to it need to be easily accessible’.

(taken from the «Law Society Gazette»)

1. Fill in articles where necessary.

In … United States, acts of … Congress, such as federal statutes, are published chronologically in the order in which they become law — often by being signed by … President, and are grouped together in official bound book form, also chronologically, as "session laws." The "session law" publication for Federal statutes is called … United States Statutes at Large. Any given act may be only one page long, or hundreds of pages, in length. An act may be classified as either a "Public Law" or a "Private Law».

Because each … Congressional act may contain laws on a variety of topics, many acts, or portions thereof are also rearranged and published in a topical, subject matter codification. … official codification of Federal statutes is called … United States Code.

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Unit 3. Sources of Modern Law. Section 1. Legislation

V.SPEAKING

1.Agree or disagree with the following sayings.

1.The United States is the greatest law factory the world has ever known. ~ Charles Evans Hughes

2.The greater the number of laws and enactments, the more thieves and robbers there will be. ~Lao-tzu

3.Everybody wants to eat at the government's table, but nobody wants to do the dishes. ~Werner Finck

4.The first myth of management is that it exists. ~10. Murphy's

Law

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PART I. Legal Systems

Unit 3. Sources of Modern Law

Section 2. Case Law

I. I LEAD IN

1.Before reading the text, check your knowledge and predict the right answers on the topic:

1.What is a precedent?

a)a previous decision made in court which informs future cases

b)a senior judge

c)a set of written rules

d)a jury’s decision

2.What does stare decisis mean?

a)decision is made based on legislation

b)words said in passing

c)stand by things decided

d)once made the decision must not be changed.

3.What is the Latin for a logical basis for a decision made by a court which may bind all future cases?

a)ratio ultima

b)modus vivendi

c)ratio – decidendi

d)jus strictum

2.Match the following English words and phrases with their Ukrainian equivalents:

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Unit 3. Sources of Modern Law. Section 2. Case Law

3.Mind the pronunciation of the following: hierarchy ['haIrRkI]

binding ['baIndIN] applicable [q'plIkqbl] hypothetical [haipq'TelIkql]

Read the text and compare the content with your answers in Exercise 1.

JUDICIAL PRECEDENT

Judicial precedent is one of the sources of law, particularly English Common Law which, itself, is the basis of legal systems in many parts of the world (e.g. the USA and Commonwealth countries).

Essential to the common law is the hierarchy of the courts and the principle of binding precedent. In practice, this means that the decision of a higher court is binding on a lower court, and in the course of a trial the judges must refer to existing precedents. This is known as stare decisis ‘stand by what has been decided’. The judges will also consider decisions made by a lower court, although they are not bound to follow them. However, a rule set by a court of greater or equal status must be applied if it is relevant.

During a trial, a counsel will cite cases and either attempt to distinguish the case at trial from those referred to, or alternatively, argue that the rule established in a previous case is applicable and should be followed. At the end of each legal case the Judge gives a summary of the facts of the case; then a review of the arguments (defence and prosecution) and an explanation of the principles of law he/she is using to come to a decision. Only the legal principles used to come to a decision are referred to as the ratio – decidendi’ which means ‘the reason for deciding’. Sometimes the Judge will consider what his/her decision would have been if the facts of the case had been different; this hypothetical situation is referred to as the ’obiter dicta’ (i.e. other things said) and the legal reasoning put forward may be used in future cases.

The great body of legal precedent contained in law books is the result of appeals to higher courts against the decisions of lower courts. The appeals have resulted in the clarification of specific principles, either by improving them or by overturning the original court's decision through the introduction of a new precedent.

So, put in broad terms, judicial precedent is the body of legal principles established by past court decisions which have survived the process of appeal to higher courts and have consequently become binding on all courts.

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PART I. Legal Systems

II.DEVELOPMENT

1.Answer the following questions using the information from the

text:

1)What are the distinctive features of common law?

2)What does the principle of binding precedent mean?

3)Should rules set by courts of equal status be applied if they are relevant?

4)What is the role of the judge at the end of the case?

5)How would you define the ’obiter dicta’?

6)What are the results of appeals to higher courts against the decisions of lower courts?

2. Complete the table with the related forms.

3.Translate the following sentences into English:

1.У країнах англо-саксонської правової сім’ї прецедент є основою правової системи, тоді як у деяких інших країнах (наприклад у Франції) прецеденти використовуються для заповнення прогалин у законодавстві. 2. Існує ієрархія прецедентів, відповідно до якої рішення, які були прийняті судами вищих інстанцій (наприклад, палатою лордів у Англії), є обов’язковими для використання нижчими в аналогічних ситуаціях. 3. В Україні прецедент офіційно не вважається джерелом права, але на практиці рішення судів вищих інстанцій часто беруться до уваги при вирішенні спорів.

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Unit 3. Sources of Modern Law. Section 2. Case Law

4. Match a word in column A with a word/phrase in column B to make as many phrases as possible and translate them.

III. PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE

Divideintotwogroups(proponentsandopponentsofcaselaw).Readabout theadvantagesanddisadvantagesofjudicialprecedentanddiscussthem.

Advantages

−Certainty – It creates certainty in the law and means solicitors and barristers can advise their clients on the probable outcome of their case.

−Fairness – Similar cases are treated in a similar way, this is in the interests of justice and fairness.

−Time Saving – It saves court time as for most situations there is already an existing solution.

−Law Development – it allows the law to develop alongside society R v R (1991) – this case overturned a centuries old legal principle that a man could not rape his wife.

Disadvantages

−Rigidity – The system is too rigid and does not allow the law to develop enough.

−Injustice – The strict rules of judicial precedent can create injustice in individual cases

−Slow Development – The law is slow to develop under the system of judicial precedent. The law cannot be changed until a case on a particular point of law comes before one of the higher appellate courts.

−Confusion – Hundreds of cases are reported each year, making it hard to find the relevant precedent which should be followed.

−Complexity – The law is too complex with thousands of fine distinctions.

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PART I. Legal Systems

IV. WRITING

a)Describe the process of making new law in your country. What are the strengths and the weaknesses of the process?

b)Explain to a student from a different jurisdiction how cases are used and recorded in your legal system.

V. OVER TO YOU

Read the report from the BBC webpage and comment on similar cases that you have probably read about.

Extra 'ingredient' in Cornish pie

A Cornish pasty maker has apologised to a customer who bit off more than he could chew.

Simon Enticknap, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, was enjoying a Ginsters chicken and mushroom slice before work when he crunched into a snail.

The 21-year-old took photographs of the pasty and offending mollusc before calling Ginsters to complain.

Ginsters has apologised for the "extra ingredient", which it believes came in a delivery of fresh mushrooms.

Mr Enticknap bought the pasty from a petrol station shop near Ringwood on his way to work last month.

"It was about seven o'clock and I hadn't had any breakfast," he told BBC News.

"I'd eaten about half of it when there was a nasty crunch at my back teeth. "I spat it out and when I realised what it was, I was physically sick out the

van, although my mate thought it was hilarious." Compensation offered.

A Ginsters spokesman said the company had apologised in writing and a member of staff had been sent to Basingstoke to collect the offending product.

"It appears that the object came in with a delivery of fresh mushrooms and had not been removed by our rigorous washing process, which is an extremely rare occurrence," the spokesman said.

"We have sent a further letter of apology to Mr Enticknap along with £25 for the inconvenience caused, and we thanked Mr Enticknap for taking the trouble to bring the matter to our attention."

However, air conditioning fitter Mr Enticknap said he was not fully persuaded by Ginsters explanation.

"This was a whole snail and even if it escaped the washing process, I don't understand how it got through the slicing and chopping," he said.

"I'm not at all thrilled and certainly won't be buying a chicken and mushroom slice again."

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