ENG 4339 Lecture 6: common-law-lecture-notes-lectures-college-1-13
Introduction to Common Law &
English Legal Terminology
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION TO COMMON LAW & ENGLISH LEGAL TERMINOLOGY.............................................5
COMMON LAW? ENGLISH LEGAL TERMINOLOGY?.............................................................................................................. 5
Common Law........................................................................................................................................................................... 5
English Legal Terminology................................................................................................................................................ 5
WHAT IS LAW?......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
What is law? Legal v non-legal stories: what’s your thought.............................................................................5
What is law: should we be concerned?......................................................................................................................... 6
SOURCES.................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
No formal list of sources..................................................................................................................................................... 6
The original source is reason............................................................................................................................................ 6
Non in legendo sed in intelligendo legis consistunt................................................................................................6
Where do we find law?........................................................................................................................................................ 7
LEGISLATION: PARLIAMENT AS A RULE-MAKER.................................................................................................................. 7
Legislation................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
A statute.................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Statutory Interpretation..................................................................................................................................................... 8
CASE-LAW: COURTS AND JUDGES MAKING LEGAL RULES?........................................................................................... 18
Case law.................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
EUROPEAN UNION LAW....................................................................................................................................................... 18
EC Law..................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
OTHER SOURCES.................................................................................................................................................................... 19
International law................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Where do we find law?...................................................................................................................................................... 19
RESOLVING DISPUTES.................................................................................................................................... 20
Perception of the legal system....................................................................................................................................... 20
Disputes................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Governing a community by rules.................................................................................................................................. 21
HISTORY OF THE COMMON LAW: CREATING A LEGAL SYSTEM THROUGH DISPUTE
SETTLEMENT.................................................................................................................................................... 22
ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD......................................................................................................................................................... 22
Anglo-Saxon Era.........................................................................................................................................................................................................22
NORMAN CONQUEST & BIRTH OF COMMON LAW............................................................................................................ 23
Norman Period...........................................................................................................................................................................................................23
Further development in the Norman Period...............................................................................................................................................24
RENAISSANCE........................................................................................................................................................................ 26
Judicial Rivalry..................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Henry VIII............................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Roman v Common Law..................................................................................................................................................... 26
Court of Chancery & Equity............................................................................................................................................ 27
History of the English Common Law........................................................................................................................... 27
STABILITY & STAGNATION: 1660-1830....................................................................................................................27
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Equity, Common Law & Procedures............................................................................................................................ 27
REFORM & LEGISLATION: 1830-.................................................................................................................................27
Reform of procedural law................................................................................................................................................ 27
Reform of substantive law............................................................................................................................................... 28
FORMAL LAW-MAKING: THE COURT STRUCTURE................................................................................. 28
Rule-making in England and Wales............................................................................................................................ 28
Law and the courts............................................................................................................................................................. 28
Judicial law-making: doctrine of precedent............................................................................................................ 29
The court structure: criminal and civil courts........................................................................................................29
CIVIL COURTS....................................................................................................................................................................... 29
magistrates’ court............................................................................................................................................................... 29
county court.......................................................................................................................................................................... 29
High Court of Justice.......................................................................................................................................................... 31
High Court: Family Division........................................................................................................................................... 32
High Court: Queen’s Bench Division............................................................................................................................ 32
High Court: Chancery Division...................................................................................................................................... 32
Court of Appeal Civil Division........................................................................................................................................ 33
Appellate Committee of the House of Lords: CHANGED IN 2009..................................................................33
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.................................................................................................................... 33
Reform: a Supreme Court................................................................................................................................................ 33
Supreme Court...................................................................................................................................................................... 39
CRIMINAL COURTS: ADULTS (18+), MAGISTRATES’ COURTS AND CROWN COURTS..................................................40
magistrates’ courts............................................................................................................................................................. 40
Crown Court.......................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Youth Court............................................................................................................................................................................ 40
Divisional Court of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court.................................................................40
Court of Appeal Criminal Division............................................................................................................................... 41
Appellate Committee of the House of Lords: CHANGED IN 2009...................................................................41
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.................................................................................................................... 41
PRECEDENT....................................................................................................................................................... 41
Common Law........................................................................................................................................................................ 41
Defining Common Law..................................................................................................................................................... 41
What is the Doctrine of Precedent?............................................................................................................................. 42
What is the Doctrine of Precedent?............................................................................................................................. 42
Law and fact.......................................................................................................................................................................... 42
The operation of precedent............................................................................................................................................ 42
HIERARCHY OF PRECEDENT................................................................................................................................................. 42
Precedent hierarchy........................................................................................................................................................... 42
PRECEDENT IN PRACTICE..................................................................................................................................................... 43
Precedent in practice......................................................................................................................................................... 43
Dealing with cases.............................................................................................................................................................. 43
Dealing with precedents.................................................................................................................................................. 44
Difficulties with the doctrine.......................................................................................................................................... 44
PRECEDENT 2........................................................................................................................................................................ 45
Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] A.C. 562..................................................................................................................... 45
FORMAL LAW-MAKING: LEGISLATION...................................................................................................... 54
The Queen in Parliament................................................................................................................................................. 54
Devolution.............................................................................................................................................................................. 54
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Legislation............................................................................................................................................................................. 54
Acts of Parliament.............................................................................................................................................................. 54
Subordinate Legislation................................................................................................................................................... 55
European Community Legislation............................................................................................................................... 55
THE DOCTRINE OF PARLIAMENTARY SOVEREIGNTY AND EUROPEAN UNION LAW....................55
Objectives................................................................................................................................................................................ 55
What is Parliamentary Sovereignty?.......................................................................................................................... 55
The impact of EU Legislation on Parliamentary Sovereignty.........................................................................56
The Position of Parliamentary Sovereignty today................................................................................................56
THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM.......................................................................................................................... 56
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................................... 56
What is the civil justice system?.................................................................................................................................... 57
What is the civil justice system?.................................................................................................................................... 57
Brief historical overview.................................................................................................................................................. 57
A permanent need for reform?...................................................................................................................................... 57
Role of the civil justice system....................................................................................................................................... 57
The factual situation......................................................................................................................................................... 57
More litigation or less?..................................................................................................................................................... 58
The WOOLF review............................................................................................................................................................. 58
THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM.......................................................................................................................... 59
THE WOOLF REFORMS......................................................................................................................................................... 59
The WOOLF conclusions................................................................................................................................................... 59
The WOOLF proposals for reform................................................................................................................................ 59
New civil justice process................................................................................................................................................... 59
Procedure outline................................................................................................................................................................ 59
Case management.............................................................................................................................................................. 59
Pro-active management................................................................................................................................................... 60
THE TRACK SYSTEM............................................................................................................................................................. 60
Track allocation................................................................................................................................................................... 60
Small claims.......................................................................................................................................................................... 60
Fast track procedure......................................................................................................................................................... 61
Multi-track procedure....................................................................................................................................................... 61
Sanctions................................................................................................................................................................................ 61
Appeals.................................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Appeals in civil cases...............................................................................................................................................................................................62
Appeals from County Court..................................................................................................................................................................................62
Appeals from the High Court...............................................................................................................................................................................63
THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM.......................................................................................................................... 63
OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENTS............................................................................................................................................ 63
ACCESS TO JUSTICE............................................................................................................................................................... 63
EVALUATING THE WOOLF REFORMS.................................................................................................................................. 64
Woolf reforms: An assessment....................................................................................................................................... 64
Woolf reforms: Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................. 64
ALTER NATI VE DISPUTE SETTLEMENT................................................................................................................................ 65
Alternative methods of dispute resolution............................................................................................................... 65
ADR: a definition................................................................................................................................................................. 65
ADR mechanisms................................................................................................................................................................. 65
Advantages of ADR............................................................................................................................................................. 66
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Document Summary
Introduction to common law & english legal terminology5. Non in legendo sed in intelligendo legis consistunt 6. History of the common law: creating a legal system through dispute. Norman conquest & birth of common law 23. The court structure: criminal and civil courts 29. Civil courts 29 magistrates" court 29 county court 29. Appellate committee of the house of lords: changed in 200933. Criminal courts: adults (18+), magistrates" courts and crown courts40 magistrates" courts 40. Divisional court of the queen"s bench division of the high court40. Appellate committee of the house of lords: changed in 200941. The doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty and european union law55. The impact of eu legislation on parliamentary sovereignty56. Eu countries with a common law system are: england and wales; northern ireland, republic of ireland, malta (mixed system with common law, cyprus. This course is not a language course.
