9 SUMMARY This chapter has been concerned with introducing, in some depth, common law/ case law, the second major source of English legal rules discussed in this book. The role of the judiciary in the development of English law has become apparent as the chapter has progressed. This chapter has also indicated the central importance of a careful dissection of the law reports to ensure that the correct aspects of the case are correctly summarised for a case note and further use. Taken together with Chapter 3, the foundations of an indispensable ‘how to’ approach have been laid. It is now appropriate in the next chapter to place this foundation in its European context looking at the law relating to European human rights and fundamental freedoms and the law relating to the European Community. In Chapter 9, three sources of English law (legislation, case law and European Community law) are further developed by being brought together in a case study. 4.10 FURTHER READING As already mentioned in Chapter 3, if you are a law student the ground covered by this chapter will also be covered in English legal system courses and constitutional or public law courses. Coverage of reading cases can be found in the following excellent texts relating to both the theoretical and practical aspects of legal method. • Sychin, C, Legal Method, 1999, London: Sweet & Maxwell, Chapters 7 and 8. • Twining, W and Miers, D, How To Do Things With Rules, 4th edn, 1999, London: Butterworths, Chapters 7 and 8.

2012 ◽  
pp. 126-126
Keyword(s):  
European Community ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Legal Rules ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
English Law ◽  
The Law ◽  
Law Student ◽  
Law Reports

competency in a narrow field of practical legal method and practical reason. Then, a philosophical argument will be appreciated, considered, evaluated and either accepted or rejected. This is not a theoretical text designed to discuss in detail the importance of a range of legal doctrines such as precedent and the crucial importance of case authority. Other texts deal with these pivotal matters and students must also carefully study these. Further, this is not a book that critiques itself or engages in a post-modern reminder that what we know and see is only a chosen, constructed fragment of what may be the truth. Although self-critique is a valid enterprise, a fragmentary understanding of ‘the whole’ is all that can ever be grasped. This is a ‘how to do’ text; a practical manual. As such, it concerns itself primarily with the issues set out below: How to … (a) develop an awareness of the importance of understanding the influence and power of language; (b) read and understand texts talking about the law; (c) read and understand texts of law (law cases; legislation (in the form of primary legislation or secondary, statutory instruments, bye-laws, etc), European Community legislation (in the form of regulations, directives)); (d) identify, construct and evaluate legal arguments; (e) use texts about the law and texts of the law to construct arguments to produce plausible solutions to problems (real or hypothetical, in the form of essays, case studies, questions, practical problems); (f) make comprehensible the interrelationships between cases and statutes, disputes and legal rules, primary and secondary texts; (g) search for intertextual pathways to lay bare the first steps in argument identification; (h) identify the relationship of the text being read to those texts produced before or after it; (i) write legal essays and answer problem questions; (j) deal with European influence on English law. The chapters are intended to be read, initially, in order as material in earlier chapters will be used to reinforce points made later. Indeed, all the chapters are leading to the final two chapters which concentrate on piecing together a range of skills and offering solutions to legal problems. See Figure 1.1, below, which details the structure of the book. There is often more than one solution to a legal problem. Judges make choices when attempting to apply the law. The study of law is about critiquing the choices made, as well as critiquing the rules themselves. However, individual chapters can also be looked at in isolation by readers seeking to understand specific issues such as how to read a law report (Chapter 4) or how to begin to construct an argument (Chapter 7). The material in this book has been used by access to law students, LLB students and at Masters level to explain and reinforce connections between texts in the construction of argument to non-law students beginning study of law subjects.

2012 ◽  
pp. 16-16
Keyword(s):  
European Community ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Philosophical Argument ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Legal Rules ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
Legal Problems ◽  
The Law ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

1. Understanding the Law

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
James Holland ◽  
Julian Webb
Keyword(s):  
Legal Reasoning ◽  
Case Law ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Procedural Law ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
English Law ◽  
The Concept Of Law

This chapter introduces some fundamentals that will underpin the understanding of law and ‘legal method’. It explains those core principles and techniques that underpin the process of legal reasoning. Topics discussed include the concept of law; functions of law, and some of the major functions of law; and the concept of regulation, which extends our understanding of law to forms of delegated legislation and ‘soft’ law and case law as it is developed by the courts. The chapter also discusses Parliament and legislation; the structure and role of the courts; the importance of procedural law; English law and the European Convention on Human Rights; and English law and the European Union.

The Adaptation of Imported Law in Africa

1960 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Roberts-Wray
Keyword(s):  
Common Sense ◽  
The Other ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Good Sense ◽  
Legal Rules ◽  
English Law ◽  
The Law ◽  
Law And Justice ◽  
The One ◽  
Law Student

British administration in overseas countries has conferred no greater benefit than English law and justice. That may be a trite observation, but I offer no apology. It has been said so often by so many people—as many laymen as lawyers and perhaps more Africans than Englishmen—that it must be assumed to be true. But what, in this context, are English law and justice, or similar expressions (it is put in many different ways) to be taken to comprehend ? I have heard one or two lawyers who have served overseas speak as if there were a rebuttable presumption that anything suitable for this country should be acceptable for a country in Africa. Even if that were true, and I am sure it is not, it would not that all English legal rules and institutions are appropriate for Africa, for they are not even suitable for England. It is only too true that the law is sometimes “an ass”. Not so often as some laymen like to claim, though laymen may be fair judges of what is good sense in law. I well remember how as a law student I became impatient with principles, especially in the law of torts and the rules of evidence, which to my mind left a large gap between law on the one hand and justice or common sense on the other. I am well aware that in my critical attitude I was at one with the majority, and all lawyers must welcome the labours of the Law Reform Committees, which have borne fruit in a steady stream of important Bills during the last thirty years.

scholarly journals A tale of two citizens: The Brey-Dano proportionality gap in UK courts and tribunals

2021 ◽  
pp. 138826272110049
Author(s):  
Victoria E. Hooton
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
The Law

The role of proportionality and individual assessments in EU residency and welfare access cases has changed significantly over the course of the last decade. This article demonstrates how a search for certainty and efficiency in this area of EU law has created greater uncertainty, more legal hurdles for citizens, and less consistency in decision-making at the national level. UK case law illustrates the difficulty faced by national authorities when interpreting and applying the rules relating to welfare access and proportionality. Ultimately, the law lacks the consistency and transparency that recent CJEU case law seeks to obtain, raising the question of whether the shift from the Court's previous, more flexible, case-by-case approach was desirable after all.

scholarly journals CODIFICATION, CONSOLIDATION, RESTATEMENT? HOW BEST TO SYSTEMISE THE MODERN LAW OF TORT

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-305
Author(s):  
Paula Giliker
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Civil Law ◽  
Tort Law ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Legal Scholarship ◽  
Legal Rules ◽  
The Law ◽  
Codal Provisions ◽  
Code Civil

AbstractThe law of tort (or extra or non-contractual liability) has been criticised for being imprecise and lacking coherence. Legal systems have sought to systemise its rules in a number of ways. While civil law systems generally place tort law in a civil code, common law systems have favoured case-law development supported by limited statutory intervention consolidating existing legal rules. In both systems, case law plays a significant role in maintaining the flexibility and adaptability of the law. This article will examine, comparatively, different means of systemising the law of tort, contrasting civil law codification (taking the example of recent French proposals to update the tort provisions of the Code civil) with common law statutory consolidation and case-law intervention (using examples taken from English and Australian law). In examining the degree to which these formal means of systemisation are capable of improving the accessibility, intelligibility, clarity and predictability of the law of tort, it will also address the role played by informal sources, be they ambitious restatements of law or other means. It will be argued that given the nature of tort law, at best, any form of systemisation (be it formal or informal) can only seek to minimise any lack of precision and coherence. However, as this comparative study shows, further steps are needed, both in updating outdated codal provisions and rethinking the type of legal scholarship that might best assist the courts.

Determining a Suicide under Australian Law

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Jowett ◽  
Belinda Carpenter ◽  
Gordon Tait
Keyword(s):  
Case Law ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Practical Matter ◽  
The Law ◽  
Recent Government

This article examines the role of coroners in making legal determinations of suicide in Australia. Research indicates that the requirement to make findings of intent and capacity in unexpected, violent deaths can be difficult for coroners and recent government inquiries have suggested that the law contributes to the problem. A review of laws and commentary that guide coroners in Australian states and territories reveals not only that coroners are the only persons tasked with making routine legal determinations of suicide, but that such legal guidance lacks clarity. This article concludes that law reform would aid coroners by clarifying definitional issues, removing inconsistency between state jurisdictions and increasing the transparency of case law. Along with requirements for a determination of intent, which is a practical matter previously raised by the Victorian Coronial Council, such changes would go some way to ensuring that Australian suicide statistics are more reliably created.

Schemes of Arrangement: Law and Practice

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff O’Dea ◽  
Julian Long ◽  
Alexandra Smyth
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Foreign Companies ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
English Law ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Uk

This new guide to schemes of arrangement draws together all of the elements of the law and practice concerning both creditor and member schemes. Member schemes of arrangement have become the preferred method of implementing takeovers in the UK. Creditor schemes of arrangement are increasingly used in restructuring matters and the trend in their usage in foreign companies is likely to continue as many credit documents across Europe are arranged and underwritten in London under English law. The book considers the effect given to an English scheme in foreign jurisdictions, and other Private International Law issues. A major issue for those considering a scheme for creditors is whether a scheme or CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement) is more appropriate and this book assists the reader by including an analysis of the pros and cons of schemes and CVAs. There are very few sources of information on schemes of arrangement and the area takes much of its substance from case law. This book, addressing the law and practical issues faced by practitioners on a day-to-day basis, is a first in the field.

English Foundations of American Law, 1500s–1776

2018 ◽  
pp. 48-74
Author(s):  
John B. Nann ◽  
Morris L. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Case Finding ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Legal Issue ◽  
Good Case ◽  
American Law ◽  
English Law ◽  
The Law

This chapter describes current sources and techniques useful for finding seventeenth- and eighteenth-century laws of England and introduces some methods an attorney in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries might have used. Before researchers can find the law, they must know what was considered to be the source of law in the period being investigated. Reporting, publishing, and finding cases has been important in English law for centuries. Parliamentary enactments during the colonial period also play an important part in the framework surrounding any particular legal issue. Meanwhile, English law is built on a foundation of common law, which is built on case law. As such, finding cases that relate to a particular topic is critical in research. A good case-finding option is a digest of cases; these have been written over the centuries, as have abridgments and treatises on particular areas of law.

scholarly journals ROLE OF FICTIONS IN REGULATION OF PROPERTY RELATIONS IN THE MEDIEVAL ENGLISH LAW

2016 ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
Роман Рыбаков ◽  
Roman Rybakov
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
Property Relations ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
The Common ◽  
Legal Fictions ◽  
Interpretation Method

The article is devoted to legal fictions in regulating property relations in the English medieval common law (XIII—XVII centuries). Fictions are explained as features influencing the development of law, means of expansion of courts’ jurisdiction and mechanisms of the development of remedies protecting property relations. The article focuses on the role of fiction during the appellate review stage. Relevant case law is analyzed in this article. In this research the author uses the following set of methods of scientific cognition: dialectical method, historical method as well as special scientific research methods, such as technical legal method, comparative law method, formal legal method and legal interpretation method. This research results in better understanding of the role of fictions during the appellate review stage and provides analysis of differences between legal fictions used in the medieval civil law and the common law. In conclusion, the author suggests a classification of legal fictions’ functions in the medieval English common law.

The Role of Risk Assessment in Precautionary Intervention: A Comparison of Judicial Trends in the EC and WTO

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 455-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elen Stokes
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
European Community ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Case Law ◽  
World Trade Organisation ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
The World ◽  
Phytosanitary Measures

AbstractThis paper focuses on the meanings attached to the "precautionary principle" in judgments passed down by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the European Community (EC) courts. It speaks to claims that, in response to WTO litigation, the EC courts are beginning to construe the precautionary principle in a manner that more closely resembles obligations arising from the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement). It illustrates that although disparities between interpretations in EC and WTO case law of legitimate precautionary intervention are growing to be less obvious, inconsistencies continue to exist.

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