Introduction to legal English
Word Sentence Translation
Civil law Burgerlijk recht
Common law Gemeen recht
Criminal law Strafwetgeving
Codified The civil law system is a Gecodificeerd
codified system of law.
Case law Jurisprudentie
Judge-made law Recht van de rechter,
gebasseerd op een
interpretatie of een beslissing
van een rechter
Penal law Strafrecht
CIVIL LAW COMMON LAW
Where? former French, Dutch, German, former British colonies or
Spanish or Portuguese colonies protectorates, including the
or protectorates. Central and United States
Eastern Europe and East Asian
countries
Specific features? Written constitutions not always written
Legislative enactments constitution of codified
= binding for all laws
Judge-made law: in Judicial decisions =
theory no, in practice binding
yes If law does not
Legislation and expressly prohibit it,
administrative acts you can do it
need to stay consistent Less prescriptive
More prescriptive
Definition? A codified system of law, that Legal system which is the
originates from Roman law, foundation of the legal
which is establishes by a state systems of most of the English-
for its regulation and which is speaking countries of the
concerned with non-criminal world, based on customs,
matters, rights and remedies. usage and court decisions
Also called: case law, judge
made law
Contracts? Less freedom of contract: Freedom of contract: few
many provisions implied into a provisions are implied
contract by law BUT operation Everything needs to be
of law can solve inadequacies described!
or ambiguities Longer contracts
Shorter contracts
1
,Europe vs Belgium
Substantial There are substantial bodies of Wezenlijk, degelijk
European law in areas such as
contracts, business law, labour
law,…
Supreme EU law is supreme over the Opperste
national laws of EU member
countries.
Constitutional Grondwettelijk
Establishing Vaststelling
Gradually Geleidelijk, langzamerhand
Cooperation Samenwerking
Breadth Breedte
Supranational The European Union is the most Supranationaal
significant course of
supranational European law.
Laws of the EU
Ordinance/ by-law = law enacted by a town, city or Verordening
country government
Bill = draft document before it is Wetsvoorstel
made into law
Directive = legal device used by the EU to Richtlijn
establish policies at the
European level to be
incorporated into the laws of
the Member States
Regulation = a legal act of the EU that Regeling
becomes immediately
enforceable as law in all
member states simultaneously
Enforceable = you can use force
to make sure that someone
follows the law
Statute = formal written law enacted by Statuut
a legislative body
The Belgian Court system
Court of Cassation/ Supreme = the main appellate court in Hof van Cassatie
Court the judicial system of Belgium,
which ensures that the courts
are acting in accordance with
law
Court of Appeal Hof van beroep
Labour Court of Appeal Arbeidshof
Assize Court/ Court of Assize = a court that is only convened Hof van Assisen
whenever a person is accused
of a serious crim that cannot be
2
, treated or is not being treated
as an intermediate offence.
Labour Tribunal/ Labour Court = separate court with full legal Arbeidsrechtbank
power in the area of
employment law and social
matters
Commercial Tribunal/ = this court deals with disputes Handelsrechtbank
Commercial Court between traders concerning
sums of more than €1,860, but
also with very specific issues
such as bankruptcies or
proceedings between
shareholders of a company.
Court of First Instance = this court has jurisdiction in all Rechtbank van eerste aanleg
disputes that are not assigned
by law to other courts, and thus
has what is called residual
jurisdiction
Civil Magistrate’s Court/ = this court deals with civil and Vredegerecht
Justice of the Peace commercial matters involving a
sum of less than €1,860
Police Court = this is a criminal and civil court Politierechtbank
that considers minor offences,
intermediate offences treated
as minor offences, breaches of
specific laws, claims for
damages resulting from traffic
accidents and road traffic
offences.
Terminology form series and movies
To prosecute = to bring a criminal Vervolgen
action against a
person and to
administer it until the
conclusion of the
court proceedings
Misdemeanour = (UK) a minor Misdrijf
criminal offense,
formerly contrasted
with a felony
To indict = to accuse officially of Beschuldigen
a crime
Damages = money that the Schadevergoeding
losing side in a lawsuit
must pay to the
winning side to make
up for losses of
injuries
Custody = when someone is Hechtenis
3
Word Sentence Translation
Civil law Burgerlijk recht
Common law Gemeen recht
Criminal law Strafwetgeving
Codified The civil law system is a Gecodificeerd
codified system of law.
Case law Jurisprudentie
Judge-made law Recht van de rechter,
gebasseerd op een
interpretatie of een beslissing
van een rechter
Penal law Strafrecht
CIVIL LAW COMMON LAW
Where? former French, Dutch, German, former British colonies or
Spanish or Portuguese colonies protectorates, including the
or protectorates. Central and United States
Eastern Europe and East Asian
countries
Specific features? Written constitutions not always written
Legislative enactments constitution of codified
= binding for all laws
Judge-made law: in Judicial decisions =
theory no, in practice binding
yes If law does not
Legislation and expressly prohibit it,
administrative acts you can do it
need to stay consistent Less prescriptive
More prescriptive
Definition? A codified system of law, that Legal system which is the
originates from Roman law, foundation of the legal
which is establishes by a state systems of most of the English-
for its regulation and which is speaking countries of the
concerned with non-criminal world, based on customs,
matters, rights and remedies. usage and court decisions
Also called: case law, judge
made law
Contracts? Less freedom of contract: Freedom of contract: few
many provisions implied into a provisions are implied
contract by law BUT operation Everything needs to be
of law can solve inadequacies described!
or ambiguities Longer contracts
Shorter contracts
1
,Europe vs Belgium
Substantial There are substantial bodies of Wezenlijk, degelijk
European law in areas such as
contracts, business law, labour
law,…
Supreme EU law is supreme over the Opperste
national laws of EU member
countries.
Constitutional Grondwettelijk
Establishing Vaststelling
Gradually Geleidelijk, langzamerhand
Cooperation Samenwerking
Breadth Breedte
Supranational The European Union is the most Supranationaal
significant course of
supranational European law.
Laws of the EU
Ordinance/ by-law = law enacted by a town, city or Verordening
country government
Bill = draft document before it is Wetsvoorstel
made into law
Directive = legal device used by the EU to Richtlijn
establish policies at the
European level to be
incorporated into the laws of
the Member States
Regulation = a legal act of the EU that Regeling
becomes immediately
enforceable as law in all
member states simultaneously
Enforceable = you can use force
to make sure that someone
follows the law
Statute = formal written law enacted by Statuut
a legislative body
The Belgian Court system
Court of Cassation/ Supreme = the main appellate court in Hof van Cassatie
Court the judicial system of Belgium,
which ensures that the courts
are acting in accordance with
law
Court of Appeal Hof van beroep
Labour Court of Appeal Arbeidshof
Assize Court/ Court of Assize = a court that is only convened Hof van Assisen
whenever a person is accused
of a serious crim that cannot be
2
, treated or is not being treated
as an intermediate offence.
Labour Tribunal/ Labour Court = separate court with full legal Arbeidsrechtbank
power in the area of
employment law and social
matters
Commercial Tribunal/ = this court deals with disputes Handelsrechtbank
Commercial Court between traders concerning
sums of more than €1,860, but
also with very specific issues
such as bankruptcies or
proceedings between
shareholders of a company.
Court of First Instance = this court has jurisdiction in all Rechtbank van eerste aanleg
disputes that are not assigned
by law to other courts, and thus
has what is called residual
jurisdiction
Civil Magistrate’s Court/ = this court deals with civil and Vredegerecht
Justice of the Peace commercial matters involving a
sum of less than €1,860
Police Court = this is a criminal and civil court Politierechtbank
that considers minor offences,
intermediate offences treated
as minor offences, breaches of
specific laws, claims for
damages resulting from traffic
accidents and road traffic
offences.
Terminology form series and movies
To prosecute = to bring a criminal Vervolgen
action against a
person and to
administer it until the
conclusion of the
court proceedings
Misdemeanour = (UK) a minor Misdrijf
criminal offense,
formerly contrasted
with a felony
To indict = to accuse officially of Beschuldigen
a crime
Damages = money that the Schadevergoeding
losing side in a lawsuit
must pay to the
winning side to make
up for losses of
injuries
Custody = when someone is Hechtenis
3
