English for Lawyers 2

1. English for Lawyers 2 Lecturer: Miljen Matijašević e-mail: miljen.matijasevic@gmail.com Session 2, 6 Mar 2018

2. TheSourcesofEnglish Law Unit 7

3. Introduction DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS • How wouldyoudefine a sourceoflaw? • Whatsourcesof Croatian law are youawareof? • Isthere a hierarchyofthesources?

4. TheSourcesof English Law • Discussthesourcesoflawlisted on p. 51 inyourcoursebook • Ifyouknowwhatthey are, discusstheircharacteristics

5. England or the UK? • Consider the relationships between the following Great Britain The British Isles Wales England The United Kingdom Ireland Scotland Northern Ireland

6. The British Isles

7. TheStatesandtheCountries • The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland • The Republic of Ireland • Great Britain: England, Wales and Scotland • England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – thefourcountriesofthe UK • England and Wales share a common legal system, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems

8. Englandorthe UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland • a constitutionalmonarchy • constitution – UNCODIFIED – not a single legalact • multiplesourcesofconstitutionallaw • collectivelyreferred to as: theConstitution

9. Sourcesofconstitutionallaw • statutes: • Magna Carta 1215 • Bill of Rights 1689 • ParliamentActs 1911, 1949 • European CommunitiesAct 1972 • Human Rights Act 1998 • ConstitutionalReformAct 2005, etc. • caselaw • constitutional/parliamentaryconventions • rolesandpowersofgovernmentauthorities (themonarch, theCabinet, the Prime Minister, Parliament, etc.) • booksofauthority – worksbyexperts on the British constitution (Bagehot, Dicey)

10. TheSourcesof English Law • COMMON LAW • EQUITY • STATUTE LAW • DELEGATED LEGISLATION • ECHR • EU LAW • CUSTOM

11. Custom • GENERAL CUSTOMS • served as thebasisfor commonlaw • some original courtdecisionsbased on customs, acceptedpracticesandvaluesin a community • LOCAL CUSTOMS • refers to localrights, e.g. theright to use landin a particularway, therightofway • notpartofthelawper se, but mayberecognizedbythecourts

12. Commonlaw • institutedin 12th centuryafterthe Norman Conquest (1066) • William theConqueror – set uptheKing’s Court (CuriaRegis) andappointedjudges • judgesalsotravelledaroundEnglandand Wales to decidecases • casesapplied to thekingorhisjudges

13. Commonlaw • a collectionofcourtrulings (caselaw) fromlocal Anglo-Saxoncourts • collectionorderedby Henry II Plantagenet • judgestravelledaroundcircuitsto decidecases • COMMON LAW – lawcommon to thewholeterritoryofEnglandand Wales, unifiedlaw • thetermhas a historicalmeaning

14. Commonlaw • uncodifiedlaw, judicialprecedents • provide a certainprinciplederivedfrom a particularcase • e.g. A manwhoisawarethat a risk he istakingmayresultindamageisliable for thedamage. If he isunawareoftherisk, he isnotliable.

15. Commonlawandequity • „Ifthereis a remedy, thereis a right” • commonlaw had a limitednumberof „actions” (lawsuits) withverystrictformalrequirements • citizenspaid to take a certaintypeofactionagainst a defendant • theformalrequirements had to besatisfied • minorerrorsresultedinfailure • remediesfixed (usually DAMAGES) • thisoftenresultedininjustice

16. Commonlawandequity • substantivelawderivedfromthe „actions” anddevelopedover time throughprecedents • EQUITY – ananswer to therigidityandunfairnessofcommonlaw • dissatisfiedcitizensapplied to the King for justice • casesreferred to the Lord Chancellor (KeeperoftheKing’sConscience) • notboundby (common) law, guidedbytheprinciplesofnaturaljusticeandfairness (equity)

17. Commonlawandequity • commonlawreferred to as LAW • mainsourcesoflaw at the time: LAW and EQUITY • equitydevelopeditsownprinciples, precedentsandremedies, and a specialcourt • EQUITABLE REMEDIES: • injunction • specificperformance • rescission • rectification

18. Equity • lawwasremedy-oriented • ifyouwanted a common-lawremedy, youturned to thecourtoflaw • ifyouwantedanequitableremedy, youturned to the Court ofChancery • theJudicatureActs 1873-75 • fusedcommonlawandequity • bothcommon-lawandequitableremediesavailableinallcourts

19. Statute law • lawpassedbyParliament • todaythe most productivesourceoflaw • modernview – lawsshouldbemadebyelectedrepresentativesofthepeople • statutesalsoknown as ActsofParliament

20. Statute law • doctrineof PARLIAMENTARY SUPREMACY • Parliamenthassupremelaw-makingpower • nothingandnobodyisaboveParliament • no formallimitations to Parliament’slaw-makingpower • no authoritythatcanabolishlawsmadebyParliament

21. Delegatedlegislation • to DELEGATE – to transfer a power to someoneelse • Parliamentconfers (delegates) thelaw-makingpowers to otherbodies – governmentministers, administrativebodies • PURPOSE: to make more detailedrulesandregulations • oftenreferred to as STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS (comparable to pravilnici, uredbe, odluke)

22. Delegatedlegislation • notmadebyParliament – canbechallengedincourt • thecourt (Administrative Court) canexamine ifthemakeshas gone beyondthepowers (ultravires) conferredbyParliament

23. European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) • Convention for the Protection of Human Rights andFundamentalFreedoms (1950) • a treatyoftheCouncilof Europe • the UK one ofthefirstsignatories • transposedinto English lawonlyin 1998 – Human Rights Act • English courts must take intoaccountjudgmentsandadvisoryopinionsofthe European Court of Human Rights • must interpret English lawin a waycompatiblewith ECHR

24. European Union law • the UK a membersince 1973 • European CommunitiesAct 1972 • enabledaccession • made EU lawapplicableinthe UK • Brexit – the UK to leavethe EU in 2019 • EU lawwill no longerapply

25. Sourcesof English law

26. Exercises • Do exercises III, IV and V (pp. 54-56)

27. Thank you for your attention!