I.

Introduction to Law
Legal studies warm-up
1. Discussion: How did you feel this morning when you entered this building?

a) What might be the reasons or motivation for the undergraduates to have decided to study law?

b) What are the usual objectives the law students want to achieve?

c) What are the lawyers required and expected to be able to do?

d) What will the law degree equip you for?

e) What are the compulsory and optional subjects you have to study in the first year? Describe one of
them.

f) List some other subjects you are going to study at the Faculty of Law in Brno.

2. Listening: Should I go to law school?

Answer the questions in the table first for yourself and then according to the recording.

Yourself/ In your opinion Recording

Why do I want to become a I want to practice law

lawyer?

1
What are ● ●
the benefits for any
student? ● ●
● ●

● ●
● ●
● ●

Is a law degree a ticket to any

profession?

key

Yourself/ In your opinion Recording

Why do I want to become a I want to practice law

lawyer?

What are ● Intellectual stimulation

the benefits for any
student? ● Improving critical
thinking

● Sharpening attention to
detail

2
 Is a law degree a ticket to any No,
profession? otherwise the speaker
would be an astronaut or a
plumber now.

Source: Legal Lad

What is law?
3. 1 Read the text and explain the difference (and give examples) between:

● descriptive and prescriptive laws

● informal rules, formal rules and laws
● civil legal action and criminal legal action
The English word law has its origin in the Old Norwegian word literally meaning “laid down” which may
refer both to something observed as a natural phenomenon, such as the sun rising and setting every
day, or to a rule set by human beings for regulating their mutual coexistence. Hence, two kinds of laws
may be distinguished, namely, descriptive and prescriptive ones. The former describe how something
behaves, the latter prescribe how one should behave, e. g. how fast people ought to drive or that is not
acceptable to hurt others.

It stands to reason that if something is prescribed there must be a sanction, also termed penalty or
punishment, for breaking such a prescription, or, in legal terms, a rule. Sanctions may be classified
according to seriousness or institutions providing for these rules. Society in general may be regarded as
the most informal kind of institution and at this level sanctions may only take the form of criticism,
ridiculing or invectives, i.e. negative reactions, so some hard-skinned individuals may live happily
through their lives completely ignoring this kind of sanction.

At a more formal level of institutions created by the society, such as schools, sports clubs or churches,
sanctions are felt more strongly. One may be subject to a warning preceding suspension of membership
or the ultimate penalty which is expulsion from the respective institution.

The powers that come into play at the most formal level are those that the State dispose of, i.e. police
and courts, and the rule-makers. This kind of level is what we are most interested in at the English Law
for Lawyers Course so let us examine this in more detail taking as an example a model situation from the
area of sports. Suppose, an ice hockey player rams his opponent so hard that the unfortunate is left
badly injured and unable to walk for a long period of time. At the most informal level of social rules he

3
may be exposed to booing, abusive words or even some objects such as coins being thrown at him,
which is of course not tolerated by the referees as this behavior crosses the line between the informal
rules and the more formal rules of social institutions such as sports clubs. At this more formal level the
rough player may face suspension or financial penalty, or both, followed by or accompanied with
sanctions at the most formal level, i.e. that of the government-made laws. These have the form of
statutes in civil law countries and/or precedents in common law countries. Two kinds of legal action may
ensue. First, the injured player, called party harmed or aggrieved party, may bring a civil action against
the player who caused him harm. This kind of dispute could be dealt with in a civil court resulting in the
claim being enforced by the court if the other player refused to settle privately. The usual award of the
civil court to the winning party is damages, i.e. financial compensation. The other kind of legal action
could be criminal prosecution conducted by the State as certain kinds of behavior are considered
harmful to the well-being of the whole society and not simply a private matter between two individuals.
In a criminal trial the loser of the case may be convicted and sentenced to a fine or even to
imprisonment.

Even in a well-ordered society, people have disagreements and conflicts arise. The law must provide a
way to resolve these disputes peacefully. We need law to ensure a safe society in which people's rights
are respected. An essential principle is that the same law applies to everybody, including the police,
governments and public officials, who must carry out their public duties according to the law.

Created by the team of authors.

3.2 Discuss the following:

a) Give examples how our behaviour is regulated by rules.

b) What happens if somebody breaks a law?

c) Give at least three reasons why we need law.

key:
a) there are rules for games, for social clubs, for sports and for adults in the workplace, rules
imposed by morality and custom telling us what we should and should not do + laws
b) the person is punished: pays a fine, pays damages, or goes to prison
c) to ensure: a safe and peaceful society, human rights to be respected, equality, ...

3.3 Collocations - which words from the first and second column go together?

to break

to settle duties

to carry out disputes

to resolve rights

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 to respect laws

to break laws/duties
to settle disputes
to carry out duties
to resolve disputes,(laws - e.g. Legislators resolve laws.)
to respect rights/laws, duties

3.4 Go back to the text and find more useful collocations concerning legal English.

examples: to be subject to…, to face suspension, aggrieved party

4. Group work: Create your definition of law. Below are some words to help you,
feel free to use any of them (or none of them):

people enforce power authority oppression reason

morality control rules relations body

society regulate system conduct customs govern

Ss writing definitions on pieces of paper/PPT/OHP slides/posters/Gdocs…

Class share - Groups read and explain their definitions, T comments (content, vocab)

5. It is not easy to define exactly what law is, most definitions describe what it does and
what rules apply. Match the authors to the definitions. Which definition appeals to you?

T: check the authors, you can compare with the students’ definitions, comment on various
approaches

5
Plato (Greek philosopher born 427 BC) and Aristotle (Greek philosopher born 304 BC) -
Natural Law
Thomas Hobbes (English philosopher born 1588)
John Austin (English jurist born 1790) - Legal Positivism
Marxist theory
Merriam-Webster English Dictionary http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/law
citáty z:
http://www.slideshare.net/kirstyallison27/english-legal-system
http://sixthformlaw.info/01_modules/other_material/law_and_morality/0_what
_is_law.htm

a) A body of rules fixed and enforced by a sovereign political authority. John Austin

b) Law is a tool of oppression used by capitalists to control the proletariat. Marxist theory

c) “An embodiment of Reason”, whether in the individual or the community. Plato

d) Law is the formal glue that holds fundamentally disorganised societies together.
Thomas Hobbes

e) LAW: (1) a binding custom or practice of a community: a rule of conduct or action

prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority (2) the
whole body of such customs, practices, or rules
Merriam-Webster English Dictionary

6. There are more Czech words which correspond to the English word “law”
depending on the context. Which words are they? What are the translations of the
following entries from the Oxford dictionary?
T: go through the entry with the class, make comments where necessary: translations,
countable/uncountable

law
Pronunciation: /lɔ ː /
noun
1 [mass noun] (often the law) the system of rules which a particular country or community
recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the
imposition of penalties:shooting the birds is against the law they were taken to court for
breaking the law [as modifier]:law enforcement
● [count noun] an individual rule as part of a system of law:
a new law was passed to make divorce easier and simpler
● systems of law as a subject of study or as the basis of the legal profession:
he was still practising law
[as modifier]:a law firm, law students

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 ● something regarded as having binding force or effect:
he had supreme control—what he said was law
● (the law) informal the police: he’d never been in trouble with the law in his life
2 a rule defining correct procedure or behaviour in a sport: the laws of the game
3 a statement of fact, deduced from observation, to the effect that a particular natural or
scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present:
the second law of thermodynamics

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/law?q=law

7. Language practice - more exercises in IS (odpovědníky)

7 .1 Be careful about the Czech term “právo”. It is translated into English in two different ways
depending on its nature:

● ―objektivní právo‖, e.g. ―právo této země‖ is translated as ―law‖

● ―subjektivní právo‖, e.g. ―má právo volit‖ is translated as ―a right‖

7.2 Translate the sentences into English:

a) Právo je živý a dynamický systém.

b) Právo na život je základním lidským právem.

c) Přečetl si práva a povinnosti pacienta.

d) Právo je závazné a vynutitelné.

a) Law/The law is a living and dynamic system.

b) The right to life is a basic/fundamental human right.

c) He (has) read the patient rights and duties/responsibilities.

d) Law/The law is enforceable and binding.

7.3 Adjectives and adverbs. A positive adjective derived from the word “law” is “legal or lawful”.
What are negative adjectives?

legal X _____________ → adverbs: legally X _____________

lawful X _____________ → adverbs: _____________ X _____________

The use of “legal” or “lawful” depends on the context. Sometimes, both are possible.

7.4 Fill in the gaps with suitable expressions: (il)legal, (il)legally, (un)lawful, (un)lawfully:

a) He asked for ___________ advice. legal

7
b) Their activities were unethical and ___________. unlawful/illegal

c) The man was ___________ killed. unlawfully

d) What makes people cross the border ___________? illegally/unlawfully

e) There’s nothing wrong with my behaviour, it’s perfectly ___________. legal/lawful

legal
1 [attributive] relating to the law: the European legal system, appointed or required by the law:a
legal requirement
2 permitted by law: he claimed that it had all been legal
lawful
conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law or rules: you cannot carry a weapon in public
without lawful authority

illegal
contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law: illegal drugs
unlawful
not conforming to, permitted by, or recognized by law or rules: the use of unlawful violence
http://oxforddictionaries.com
Poznámka z červeného ILECu, teacher’s book, p. 128: As a general rule the term “illegal” is
often used to refer to something criminal, while something which is “unlawful” is a civil wrong,
but not a crime. There are counter-examples: “unlawful entry” is a crime, while an “illegal
contract” is not.

unlawful X illegal - T can show Googlefight to Ss, e.g. unlawful killing X illegal killing, ...

7.5 Which collocations or phrases with ―law‖ and ―legal‖ do you remember? Classify them
according to the following pattern and examples:

adjective/noun + law natural law, contract law, banking law, taxation law, company
law, labour law, family law, welfare law, a new law
…… law

noun + noun law theory, law schools, law department, law enforcement, a law
firm
law ……

adjective + noun legal education, legal system, legal practitioners, legal

profession
legal ……

8
 verb + noun to make the law, to study law, to break the law, to pass the law,
to practice law, to apply the law, to propose a new law
to …… law

noun + verb the law regulates, the law provides, the law applies to

law ……

noun of + noun the law of a community, the laws of the game, the laws of
thermodynamics, the law of the country
law of ……

noun +of noun philosophy of law, a system of law

…… of law

within the law, by law, according to the law, to be against the law
preposition phrases

II. Sources of law: Common Law and Civil Law

Sources of law refer to the origins from which rules of human conduct come into existence and derive
their legal force. Originally, they included customs which were then developed and transformed into
precedents, legislation and interpretations of both. How much precedents or legislation are used in
particular legal systems distinguishes two main legal traditions in the world, the Anglo-American
common law and the civil law based on Roman law. Most countries in the world follow one or the other,
except for various Islamic countries with their own Sharia law.

1. Are the following features typical for common or civil law systems?

precedents codes unwritten law enacted law statutes

judges are investigators judges create law jury

common law: precedent, unwritten law, judges create law, jury

civil law: codes, enacted law, statutes, judges are investigators

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2. Read the text and fill in the table below.

Can be done as pair work: Student A finds information for Common Law, Student B for Civil
Law, then they share the info. Special handout - one table on each side.

Common law is a peculiarly English development. Before the Norman conquest, different rules
and customs applied in different regions of the country. But after 1066 monarchs began to unite
both the country and its laws using the king’s court. Judges created a common law by drawing
on customs across the country and rulings by monarchs. These rules developed organically and
were rarely written down. By contrast, European rulers drew on Roman law, and in particular on
a compilation of rules issued by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century that was rediscovered
in 11th-century Italy. With the Enlightenment of the 18th century, rulers in various continental
countries sought to produce comprehensive legal codes.

Today the difference between common and civil legal traditions lies in the main source of law.
Although common-law systems make extensive use of statutes, judicial decisions are binding
and are regarded as the most important source of law, which gives judges an active role in
developing rules. To ensure consistency, courts abide by precedents set by higher courts
examining the same issue, which is known as the doctrine of stare decisis. Civil Law, in
contrast, is codified, codes and statutes are designed to cover all eventualities and judges have
a more limited role of applying the law to the case in hand.

When it comes to court cases, judges in civil-law systems tend towards being investigators
working within a framework established by a comprehensive, codified set of laws, while their
peers in common-law systems act as arbiters between parties that present their arguments. A
jury of ordinary people without legal training decides on the facts of the case.
Civil-law systems are more widespread than common-law systems. Countries following a civil
law system are typically those that were former French, Dutch, German, Spanish or Portuguese
colonies. Common-law systems are found only in countries that are former English colonies or
have been influenced by the Anglo-Saxon tradition, such as Australia, India, Canada (except
Quebec) and the United States (except Louisiana).

Legal minds in civil-law jurisdictions like to think that their system is more stable and fairer than
common-law systems, because laws are stated explicitly and are easier to recognize. But
English lawyers take pride in the flexibility of their system, because it can quickly adapt to
circumstance without the need for Parliament to enact legislation. In reality, many systems are
now a mixture of the two traditions, giving them the best of both legal worlds.

based on: http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/07/economist-explains-10

common law civil law

the main source of law judicial decisions/precedents codes and statutes

+ other sources + statutes/legislation

role of judges create law apply law

arbiters between parties investigators

10
 advantages easier to adapt to new laws stated explicitly -> more
circumstances -> more flexible stable and fairer

history/influences/ after 1066: uniting the laws -> Roman law, emperor Justinian,
other typical features common law rulers producing
customs, rulings comprehensive legal codes
jury

countries England, Australia, India, Continental Europe, former

Canada (except Quebec), the French, Dutch, German,
United States (except Spanish or Portuguese
Louisiana) colonies,
Quebec, Louisiana
- former English colonies

3. SPEAKING: Pair work. Student A is a civil law judge, Student B is a common law judge. Discuss the
advantages of your system of law.

4. Fill-in the crossword and find the hidden word:

1 ._.........
2 _.....
3 ...._..
4 ..._..
5 ...._
6 ....._

1. laws made by Parliament legislation

2. the province in Canada with civil law Quebec
3. a written law statute
4. an official decision made by e.g. court ruling
5. to make something law enact
6. to arrange laws into codes codify

5. The word hidden in the crossword is EQUITY = fairness, and at the same time an
important feature of English law which developed as a way of dealing with the inflexibility of the
English legal system:
By the fourteenth century, many people were dissatisfied with common law and the King of
England was receiving many complaints. His subjects argued that judgments were unfair, the
law was applied too strictly and the outcomes were unhelpful. This resulted in establishing a
complementary system of law which dealt with problems where the common law could not help.
It became known as the doctrine of equity.

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T: explain adds some more details to equity + explains the concet of remedy and their types:

Equity and common law offer different ways of compensating for loss, i.e. providing a remedy. Look at
the pictures illustrating various types of remedy and imagine and describe a situation leading to the
particular type of remedy.

e.g.

sell the precious painting as agreed on - >specific performance

stop spreading harmful gossip, stop walking across your neighbour’s garden-> injunction

pay for the injuries you caused -> damages

LISTENING - EQUITY

6. Listening - Equity - modrá učenice, Introduction to ILEC, UNIT 10, Listening 2 - Part 2,
Audio 10.4

Pre-listening: Match the expressions to their explanations.

12
 to petition a court order to enforce compensation for loss

remedy monetary compensation

damages to make a formal written request

to take priority
injunction
a court order to do something, or to stop doing something
specific performance
a court order for a party to perform the actions required under a
to prevail contract

the British cabinet = the most senior ministers, the key decision-making body of the British
goverment

check pronunciation: Lord Chancellor, Court of Chancery

7. Listen to a part of discussion about the history of equity and choose the correct answers (one
or more to each question):

1. b) Litigants are
a. the king’s advisors.
b. the parties in a legal case.
c. petitions from the Middle Ages.
2. a), b) Lord Chancellor
a. dealt with petitions to the king.
b. used to have various judicial roles.
c. was removed by the Constitutional Reform Act.
3. b), c) Examples of equitable remedies are
a. damages.
b. specific performance.
c. injunction.
4. a) The Court of Chancery
a. was set up by the Lord Chancellor.
b. provided common law remedies initially.
c. is still in existence.
5. a), c) Equity
a. should take preference if there are differences between the common law and
equity.
b. was established by the Judiciary Act 1873.
c. is administered by the same courts as the common law.

8. Summary - History of equity. Fill in the gaps in the following summary and then in pairs ask

13
questions and check the answers. Use appropriate question words (what, who, why, whose)
and the correct grammatical structures.

Better - students first fill in the gaps individually, then the questions are asked in the class

1. In the late Middle Ages, litigants petitioned to the king because ______________
_______________________________ .

2. The king referred the cases to the _______________________________ who developed

legal rules of his own called equity.

3. The court administering equity was called _______________________________ .

4. For centuries, equity and common law existed side by side. If in conflict, _______________
prevailed.

5. In the 19th century, the Judicature Act 1873-1875 ___________________________ the

Court of Chancery.

6. In this century, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 abolished

_________________________’s judicial roles.

7. Nevertheless, even now, we speak about equitable remedies, e.g.

______________________.

1. litigants petitioned to the King because they were not satisfied with the inflexibility of common
law/ common law didn’t provide fair remedies

2. the king referred the cases to the Lord Chancellor

3. the court administering equity was called the Court of Chancery

4. if equity and common law in conflict, equity prevailed

5. the Judicature Act 1873-1875 abolished the Court of Chancery

6. the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 abolished the Lord Chancellor’s judicial roles

7. even now, we speak about equitable remedies, e.g. injunction, specific performance

9 . Revision - correct the mistakes: the words in bold are mixed up, put them to the right
places:

14
A judicial decisis refers to a decision of the court used as a source for future Chancery to
follow in cases where the facts are the same. This is known as ―stare judges‖ which can be
translated from Latin as ―to stand by what has been decided‖.
Source means the body of rules which was formulated and administered by the Court of
common to supplement the rules and procedure of the common law.
While civil law is mainly based on the idea of precedent, equity law is based on legislation as
the principal precedent of law.

A judicial precedent refers to a decision of the court used as a source for future judges to
follow in cases where the facts are the same. This is known as “stare decisis” which can be
translated from Latin as “to stand by what has been decided”.
Equity means that body of rules which was formulated and administered by the Court of
Chancery to supplement the rules and procedure of the common law.
While common law is mainly based on the idea of precedent, civil law is based on legislation
as the principal source of law.

http://nuweb2.northumbria.ac.uk/bedemo/Sources_of_English_Law/

III. LEGISLATION
1. Read the text and find information about

● types of legislation
● process of passing an act
● structure of acts
Even though the Anglo-American legal system is based on common law, nowadays legislation plays the
most important part in law-making as it has always played in civil law countries. Many statutes are now
in a form of codification of certain areas of law, e.g. the law concerning theft can now be found in the
form of the Act on Theft. There is a similar trend in the USA where various uniform laws designed to
eliminate differences in law among various states can be seen such as the Uniform Commercial Code.

Legislation, in general, may be divided into two strands, primary and secondary ones. The primary
legislation is made by the supreme legislative body, called differently in various countries, Parliament
being the most frequent designation. In Britain, laws falling within the scope of the primary legislation
are broken down into public and private or local ones. The former apply to the entire community
whereas the latter to a particular individual or group of individual. The secondary legislation, also called
delegated legislation as the primary law-making body transfers the power to make laws to a
subordinated one, is made by, e.g. ministries in the form of statutory instruments, or local authorities, in
the form of by-laws (called ordinances in the USA).

A proposal for a statute is called a bill before being passed when it becomes an Act of Parliament which
comes into effect after the royal assent or President’s signature is given or when it has its own starting
date. In Britain an Act of Parliament is divided into a heading setting out the aim of the Act followed by
parts that are divided into sections, subsections and paragraphs. On the other hand, American federal
legislation and treaties and directives of the European Union are broken down into articles rather than

15
sections.

Created by the team of authors.

2. Which English words for “zákon” do you know? Which is expression do you use in
which situation? Which word is used in a title of a law? Recall the names of the laws
from the previous tasks and translate them into Czech.
the Judiciary Act 1873, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005: Zákon o…

3. PAIR WORK. Read one of the following pieces of legislation (TEXT 1, TEXT 2 or TEXT 3). Which
country is it from? What is/could be the title? Underline new vocabulary/phrases that you find
important.

T divides the class into thirds, each reading one text (the list of important vocabulary to each
text can be given before reading), then class share - what each piece is about/clues to identify
the country/title/vocabulary

TEXT 1

Termination of Studies
Article 55
(1) Proper completion of studies consists in graduating in the applicable study programme.
The date of completion corresponds to the date of passing the state examination required at
the end of studies or the last part of this examination.
(2) Completion of studies and acquisition of an academic degree are documented by
means of the higher education diploma and the state examination certificate.

Article 56
(1) Studies are also terminated in the following events:
a) A student has decided to quit the studies;
b) A student has failed to meet the requirements specified in the study programme as
per Study and Examination Rules;
c) Withdrawal of the study programme accreditation;
d) Expiration of the study programme accreditation as per Article 80, subsection 4;
e) A student has been excluded from studies as per Article 65, subsection 1, letter c) or
as per Article 67.

TEXT 1: CZ, Higher Educational Act 1998, PART V, Studies at a higher education institution
http://www.lexadin.nl/wlg/legis/nofr/eur/lxwecze.htm
jiný překlad:
http://www.msmt.cz/uploads/Areas_of_work/higher_education/Act_No_111_1998.pdf

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originál:
http://www.muni.cz/general/legal_standards/higher_education_act?lang=cs

TEXT 2
19 Transfer, modification or abolition of functions by order

(2)An order under subsection (1) may in particular—

(a)amend or repeal any of the following—
(i)an enactment other than one contained in an Act passed, or Northern Ireland legislation
passed or made, after the Session in which this Act is passed;
(ii)subordinate legislation other than subordinate legislation made under an Act passed, or
Northern Ireland legislation passed or made, after the Session in which this Act is passed;
(iii)any other instrument or document, including a prerogative instrument;
(b)include—
(i)any supplementary, incidental or consequential provision, and
(ii)any transitory, transitional or saving provision,
which the Lord Chancellor considers necessary or expedient for the purposes of, in
consequence of, or for giving full effect to, provision made under subsection (1).

TEXT 2: UK, Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Part 2 Arrangements to modify the office of Lord
Chancellor http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/4/part/2

TEXT 3

Section 7.
All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate
may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall,
before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he approve he
shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that House in which it shall have
originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider
it. If after such reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be
sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be
reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a law.

TEXT 3: USA, Constitution, Article I [The Legislative Branch], Section 7. [Passage of Bills]
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/

4. Structure of Laws: What are parts of acts in English, and what are they in Czech?

17
Laws are cited with their title (also known as short title) and year, for example, Human Rights
Act 1998. If referring to specific sections or parts, we write a comma and the relevant
abbreviation and number, e.g. Human Rights Act 1998, s 15(1)(b). Study the following chart
comparing the subdivision of Czech and UK/US laws and decide what the English abbreviations
stand for:

pt ... part
s ... section
sub-s … subsection
para … paragraph

Czech Republic UK

částka chapter
část, hlava, oddíl part, title, subpart/chapter
paragraf section
odstavec subsection
písmeno (pododstavec) paragraph
věta/bod subparagraph

info from:
http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/lrsp/overview/legislation.php - types of UK legislation and structure +
Chromá

5. Below are examples of Dumb Laws. Choose one, make up a title and rewrite the law in a more
detailed way: draft one section consisting of at least two subsections
- one subsection consists of at least three paragraphs written in one sentence (see TEXT 1 and
TEXT 2 about the structure)
- use the expressions ―fail to‖ (or ―failure to‖), ―under/per/accordintg to section(subsection)‖

It is illegal to kiss on railways. (France)

No one may tie their pet dog to the roof of a car. (Alaska)

It is illegal to wear your boots to bed. (Oklahoma)

Chewing gum is illegal. (Singapore)

example:

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title: Traveling of Animals Act 1976
Safety of traveling dogs
Section 12
(1) It is illegal to travel with a dog on the roof because
a) a wrongly tied dog on the roof can fly away and endanger society;
b) it can be shocking for the society to see a dog on the roof of a car;
c) not every dog likes to travel on the roof of a car.
(2) A driver who violates Subsection (1) can be arrested for common threat as per Section 46
and cruelty to animals as per Section 52.
(3) Failure to comply with Subsection (1) can lead to imprisonment as per Section 86.

6. Language practice

6.1 What happens to a bill/law? Match the verbs to their explanations:

The legislative body drafts a bill. discusses

debates a bill. writes
passes/enacts a bill. changes
amends a law. approves/adopts
repeals a law. cancels

The legislative body drafts a bill. writes

debates a bill. discusses
passes/enacts a bill. approves/adopts
amends a law. changes
repeals a law. cancels

Which nouns can be formed from the verbs in the box by

- ment: enactment, amendment
- al: approval
- ion: discussion, adoption, cancellation
no change: draft, debate, repeal, change

6.2 The passive structures used in definitions and descriptions above can be understood
more clearly
if you transform them into active ones:

a. Statutes are enacted by the legislative branch.

The legislative branch………………………

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b. All the rules of conduct have been approved by the government.

The government ………………………………………………..

c. All the rules of conduct must be obeyed by all persons.

All persons ……………………………………………

d. Rules are established by a governing authority.

A governing authority ………………………..

6.3 Complete the gaps with the following verbs either in their active or passive forms:

violate recognize establish enforce prescribe regulate

LAW: The principles and regulations established…. by a government and applicable to a

people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized.. and
enforced…. by judicial decision. Any written or positive rule or collection of rules
…prescribed…… under the authority of the state or nation, as by the people in its constitution.

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language

http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/law508/definitionslaw.htm

LAW: A body of rules, whether proceeding from formal enactment or from custom, which a
particular state or community recognizes… as binding on its members or subjects.

Oxford Dictionary of the English Language

http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/law508/definitionslaw.htm

LAW: Rules of conduct of any organized society, however simple or small, that are enforced.
by threat of punishment if they are violated……... Modern law has a wide sweep and
regulates……. many branches of conduct.

Columbia Encyclopedia
http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/law508/definitionslaw.htm

supplementary materials:

world legal history:

https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1422/podzim2013/MP111Z/um/43262470/43262477/SOL_History_of_
Law.pdf

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Common law:
- video on the history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeKcTe4HRPs
- Gap-fill on the history:
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1422/podzim2013/MP111Z/um/43262470/43262477/SOL_common_la
w_gaps.pdf
- studying the law and sources of law:
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1422/podzim2013/MP111Z/um/43262470/43262477/STUDYING_THE
_LAW.pdf

Roman law:
- history (Roman Law in European History, Peter Stein):
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1422/podzim2013/MP111Z/um/43262470/43262477/Roman_Law_in_
European_History__Peter_Stein_.pdf

Legislation:
- making a law in England:
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1422/podzim2013/MP111Z/um/43262470/43262477/Making_a_law.pdf

Tricky words:

law - countable, uncountable - depending on the context - see the exercises above
damages (monetary compensation) X damage (harm) – uncountable
civil law – two meanings: civil law X common law, civil X criminal law

Suplementary reading:

more on law,morality and justice:

http://citycollegecoventrylaw.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/legal-theory.pdf
Philosophy of Law

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