Quintilian and the Law

How did Quintilian regard the relationship between rhetoric and law? It is only in the last book of his Institutio oratoria that Quintilian deals with this question. In 12.3 he states that the well-educated orator must have a broad knowledge of the law so that he will not be dependent on information from a legal expert. In the course of the book, Quintilian shows that he himself was well acquainted with Roman law for he often explains rhetorical technique by giving legal examples, and these examples deal with a wide variety of topics and refer to a wide variety of sources. The topics include criminal law and private law, particularly the law of succession, and legal procedure. The sources range from speeches by Cicero to fictitious laws and cases. Quintilian regarded rhetoric as superior to law but he will have agreed with Cicero that rhetoric and law were partners in dignity.

SOLVING THE “PROBLEM” OF WILLS FORMALITIES IN THE MODERN POST-PANDEMIC SOCIETY: CAN THE ENDLESS DISCUSSION BE CONCLUDED?

The last will as an instrument of succession law is one of the means of disposing property upon death. Around the world particular legal regulations of American, Australian, European or other countries generally provide for different specific formal requirements for the valid preparation of will. The inappropriateness of this kind of solutions was shown, among others, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the need for making last wills has increased significantly and has rarely been executed in a manner consistent with the formalities. Reflecting the intent of a testator, often expressed informally, seems to be a more important value of the law of succession than respecting the formalities. This has already been noticed in some countries, especially in common law jurisdictions in Australia and America, where solutions based on substantial compliance doctrine or its variations, contrary to the pan-European strict compliance standard, were adopted. These solutions, however, do not take into consideration plenty of circumstances that may occur in the testation practice and are indifferent to new possible ways of making wills. Meanwhile, the range of mechanisms and proposals for statutory changes in the area of wills formalities is constantly growing. However, there are no proposals to cover all possible legislations in this area, as regards Anglo-American, European or other countries. Yet such a solution seems possible and desirable in order to reconcile the doctrines of substantial compliance and strict compliance. This proposal is the subject of this study.

The Islamic Law of Marriage and Inheritance in Kenya

Article 24(4) of the Constitution of Kenya qualifies the right to equality “to the extent strictly necessary for the application of” Islamic law “in matters relating to personal status, marriage, divorce and inheritance”. Section 3 of the Marriage Act provides that, although spouses have equal rights during marriage and at its dissolution, “the parties to an Islamic marriage shall only have the rights granted under Islamic law”. The Law of Succession Act states that it is generally not applicable to the estate of a deceased Muslim. In this article, the author examines case law from the Kadhi's Court, the High Court and the Court of Appeal on issues of Muslim marriages and inheritance. These cases illustrate, in some instances, the tensions between Islamic law and human rights.

Vulnerability and Volition in the Testamentary Law of Undue Influence and Captation

This article examines how contemporary analyses of vulnerability theory are reflected in legal approaches to undue influence and captation in the Canadian common law of wills and estates and in the Civil Code of Québec in the law of succession. Critical theorists point to the risks of assuming that vulnerability lies exclusively with the elderly and persons with disabilities. The equation risks oversimplifying matters, which could compromise the equality and dignity of members of these groups. There is also a risk of overlooking the harm that may be suffered by those who are victims of social or economic oppression. A more nuanced approach posits that vulnerability is a common human trait that cuts across social identities and experiences. Due to prevailing assumptions about vulnerability, this article hypothesizes that challenges to wills based on undue influence and captation will most often occur when the testator is elderly and/or has a disability at the time of execution of the will. Canadian common law and Quebec civil law jurisprudence are examined to assess this hypothesis. This analysis reveals that certain conditions do give rise to triggers heightened judicial scrutiny of wills, but that they do not in and of themselves determine legal outcomes. The case law thus suggests a moderate—but tempered—risk that courts will draw presumptions about age and capacity when assessing the presence of undue influence or captation. Perhaps more significant is the absence of challenges to wills involving young and healthy testators. Jurists might therefore wonder whether we are at risk of overlooking some cases of untoward conduct due to the conceptual associations we make between age, incapacity and vulnerability.

Stosowanie przepisów prawa spadkowego Code civil przez sądy Wolnego Miasta Krakowa – sprawa Sawiczewskich

The Application of the Law of Succession of the Code civil by the Judiciary of the Free City of Kraków – the Sawiczewscy Case The aim of this paper is to present the in-depth study of the only one piece of the adjudication activity of the judiciary in the Free City of Cracow (1815–1846) – the Sawiczewscy case. Named after its subject, the division of the estate of well-known Cracow’s pharmacist and university professor Józef Sawiczewski, the case is the example of rich source of material for the researcher in the field of the application of the French law of succession in the Republic of Cracow. In its first part the article describes the case proceedings including written pleadings lodged by the parties, rulings of the Cracow’s courts: the Tribunal of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, the Court of Third Instance and also the opinion of the Professors and Doctors of the Faculty of Law of the Jagiellonian University. Due to that detailed analysis, the process of the interpretation of the Code civil regulations by the Cracow’s lawyers can be fully understood and properly evaluated. The comparative base for that evaluation is presented in the second part of the paper, which outlined the nineteenth century French interpretation of institutions of the law of succession applied in the case, i.e. the restitutions (rapports) and the disposable proportion (quotité disponible). As regards this base the outcomes are unsatisfactory since the members of the judiciary of the Free City of Kraków failed to meet not only the original intent but also the contemporary French understanding of the law of succession of the Code civil.

Effect of Partner’s Death on Companies

The death of a partner has important legal consequences on the company’s shareholding structure in companies comprised of a community of people. According to Turkish law of succession, the succession shares of the deceased partner pass to his successors. In some companies, this change in shareholding structure does not cause any changes, while in others it results in dissolution of the company. These legal consequences, which vary according to type of the company upon death, are separately anayzed in our study.

An Analysis of the Right of a Muslim Child Born Out of Wedlock to Inherit from His or Her Deceased Parent in terms of the Law of Succession: A South African Case Study

This article analyses the right of a Muslim child born out of wedlock to inherit from his or her deceased parent in terms of the law of succession within the South African context. The status of the child in the South African and Islamic law of intestate succession is first investigated. Thereafter, the status of the child in the South African and Islamic law of testate succession is discussed. The article further looks at the possibility of applying the Islamic law of succession provisions concerning a Muslim child born out of wedlock to the distribution of a deceased estate within the South African legal framework. The article concludes with an analysis of the findings and makes recommendations.

An analysis of the right of Muslim adopted children to inherit from their deceased parents in terms of the law of succession: A South African case study

This paper analyses the right of Muslim adopted children to inherit from their deceased parents in terms of the laws of succession within the South African legal context. The status of adoption in South African and Islamic law is looked at first by way of an introduction. This is followed by looking at the rights of adopted Muslim children to inherit from their deceased parents (biological and adoptive) in terms of the South African and Islamic laws of intestate (compulsory) and then testate (optional) succession.1 The paper further looks at the possibility of applying relevant Islamic law of succession provisions applicable to enable adopted Muslim children to inherit from the estate of their deceased biological parents within the South African legal framework. The paper concludes with an analysis of the findings and makes a recommendation.

A conceptual view of the act of testation to elucidate a testator’s intention in the South African law of succession: a proposed “act-based model” as opposed to the traditional “requirements model” (part 1)

Die Suid-Afrikaanse erfreg, as deel van die privaatreg, spesifiek die vermoënsreg, opereer aan die hand van die subjektiewe regsleerbenadering en veral die inbegrepe beskikkingsbevoegdheid – as een van die inhoudsbevoegdhede – waaroor ’n regsubjek as die reghebbende van subjektiewe regte beskik. Die beskikkingsbevoegdheid word uitgeoefen aan die hand van ’n beskikkingshandeling – as regshandeling – wat moontlik is weens die uitoefening van die regsbevoegdhede waaroor regsubjekte beskik, vernaamlik die regsbevoegdheid en handelingsbevoegdheid. Op die gebied van die erfreg, deur enersyds die beskikkingshandeling te onderskei van ander handelinge en aangeleenthede wat inhoudelik in die testament mag voorkom (byvoorbeeld die herroepingshandeling) en andersyds te onderskei van ander handelinge in die testeerproses (byvoorbeeld die verlydingshandelinge ten einde aan die formaliteitsvereistes te voldoen) sal die begripsverwarring wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse erfreg heers, veral wat die testateur se bedoeling betref en gevolglik ook die begrip van ’n testament as sodanig, ten beste aangespreek word. Die testateur se bedoeling kan slegs teoreties korrek verklaar word aan die hand van ’n voorgestelde handelingsmodel ten opsigte van die deurlopende proses van testering ten einde te toon dat testateursbedoeling ’n saamgestelde, meersydige konsep is, wat meerdere bedoelingsvorme of bedoelingsfasette omvat. Die beskikkingsbedoeling byvoorbeeld, moet ten eerste gevorm word alvorens dit tot uiting kan kom in ’n wilsverklaring, as die tersake beskikkingshandeling. Die handelingsmodelbeskouing staan in teenstelling tot die tradisionele beskouing dat ’n testament die gevolg is van die eenmalige aanwesigheid van ’n aantal gestelde vereistes (die sogenaamde “vereistesmodel”). Ingevolge die handelingsmodel-beskouing is ’n testament die gevolg van ’n proses van testering wat die verrigting van spesifieke handelinge met bepaalde gepaardgaande bedoelingsvorme behels, wat deur verskeie partye verrig word ten einde ’n testament daar te stel. Die plek en rol van, sowel as die wisselwerking tussen, die onderskeie “vereistes” kan slegs teoreties korrek gekontekstualiseer word ooreenkomstig hierdie beskouing. Dit staan ’n bevoegde testateur vry om na keuse oor sy of haar bates te beskik aan die hand van die beginsel van testeervryheid. Die beskikking oor bates geskied by wyse van ’n testeerhandeling, as die tersake regshandeling in die erfreg. Ten einde te kwalifiseer as ’n testeerhandeling, word ’n volledige beskikkingshandeling vereis, in die sin dat al die elemente vir ’n testamentêre beskikking teenwoordig moet wees; sowel die nodige testeerbedoeling (animus testandi) as die bedoeling dat daar by die dood regtens aan die beskikking gevolg gegee moet word. In die testate erfreg word ’n skriftelike wilsuiting, soos beliggaam in ’n geldige testament, vereis. Die testeerhandeling – as die vergestalting van die beskikkingsbedoeling en testeerbedoeling (animus testandi) – laat die dokument wat dit beliggaam, as testament kwalifiseer. Hierdie prosesmatige beskouing – met die klem op die testeerhandeling eerder as op voldoening aan ’n reeks vereistes – bied ’n behoorlike verklaring van wat ’n testament is, klaar die huidige begripsverwarring met betrekking tot testateursbedoeling op en lê die grondslag vir die bekendstelling van ’n bedoelingsleerstuk in die Suid-Afrikaanse erfreg.