What About Law?: Studying Law at University

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shows how the study of law can be fun, intellectually stimulating, challenging and of direct relevance to students. The concept of a "common law" developed during the reign of Henry II during the late 12th century, when Henry appointed judges that had authority to create an institutionalised and unified system of law common to the country. The UK, Finland and New Zealand assert the ideal of parliamentary sovereignty, whereby the unelected judiciary may not overturn law passed by a democratic legislature. Law provides a source of scholarly inquiry into legal history, [22] philosophy, [23] economic analysis [24] and sociology.

In all three traditions, a canon was originally [103] a rule adopted by a church council; these canons formed the foundation of canon law. These subjects are essential building blocks for a proper understanding of law, regardless of whether you go on to pursue a legal career.Over the centuries between the rise and decline of the Roman Empire, law was adapted to cope with the changing social situations and underwent major codification under Theodosius II and Justinian I. If a woman consented to sex when drunk, but the man knew that she wouldn’t have consented if she had been sober, is he guilty of rape? Should the same laws be introduced in the UK and, if so, should they apply just to commercial premises, like pubs, or should they apply to private parties too?

The authors give a measured, succinct tour around key legal issues that is both illuminating for the non-lawyer and refreshingly thought-provoking for those whose undergraduate days are long behind them. The Catholic Church has the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the western world, [104] [105] predating the evolution of modern European civil law and common law systems. Glanville Williams said that the meaning of the word "law" depends on the context in which that word is used. Following the UK’s departure from the EU, there is no longer an obligation on the UK to implement EU obligations. For example, Medieval England's system of travelling criminal courts, or assizes, used show trials and public executions to instill communities with fear to maintain control.Judges may need to interpret what a particular statutory provision means and, having decided what it means, this interpretation will then become law in its own right and be applied in future cases. The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution for a country, containing 444 articles, 12 schedules, numerous amendments and 117,369 words.

If the perpetrators are easily identified and have lots of money, Laura’s parents might even consider suing them for compensation to cover the cost of all the damage.Because popular elections appoint political parties to govern, the leader of a party can change in between elections. However, when the losing side is unhappy with the result and takes the case further, to the higher or appellate courts, the senior judges who decide the appeal often do things that look very much like making new law, such as deciding to expand a rule to cover a new area, or reverse an earlier rule because it is now out of date or didn’t work very well. The custom and practice of the legal profession is an important part of people's access to justice, whilst civil society is a term used to refer to the social institutions, communities and partnerships that form law's political basis. The 'upper house' is usually elected to represent states in a federal system (as in Australia, Germany or the United States) or different voting configuration in a unitary system (as in France). He said that, for example, " early customary law" and " municipal law" were contexts where the word "law" had two different and irreconcilable meanings.

John Austin's utilitarian answer was that law is "commands, backed by threat of sanctions, from a sovereign, to whom people have a habit of obedience". Colour-coded map of the legal systems around the world, showing civil, common law, religious, customary and mixed legal systems. With a clear core structure and approach it takes a case from each of these subjects to illustrate legal issues and methodology. In communist states, such as China, the courts are often regarded as parts of the executive, or subservient to the legislature; governmental institutions and actors exert thus various forms of influence on the judiciary. C., the Bundestag in Berlin, the Duma in Moscow, the Parlamento Italiano in Rome and the Assemblée nationale in Paris.Ancient Egyptian law, dating as far back as 3000 BC, was based on the concept of Ma'at and characterised by tradition, rhetorical speech, social equality and impartiality. bettersourceneeded] Like the military and police, a legal system's government servants and bodies that make up its bureaucracy carry out the directives of the executive. So, for example, the Court of Appeal is bound by other, earlier, decisions of the Court of Appeal, although on very rare occasions it is possible for the Court of Appeal to overrule one of its own earlier decisions. Law practice also involves drafting documents such as court pleadings, persuasive briefs, contracts, or wills and trusts.