UPDATE 2026
Law - Answers is a system of authoritative rules, principles, institutions, and
processes through which a political community regulates conduct, recognizes rights
and duties, allocates governmental and private power, resolves disputes, provides
remedies, protects public and private interests, and maintains social and economic
order
Rule become a law... - Answers when it is recognized or enforceable through a
legitimate lawmaking or adjudicative institution
law vs morality - Answers law is a set of rules and regulations. morality refers to
ethical code of conduct for humans
law vs ethics - Answers law is what is legally permitted. ethics ask whether conduct
is right, fair, responsible, or consistent with values
jurisprudence - Answers defined as the science and philosophy of law.
Natural- law theory - Answers associates valid law with principles of reason, justice,
morality, or human nature. An enactment that is profoundly unjust may lack moral
legitimacy even if formally enacted
Legal positivism - Answers emphasizes the validity of law and depends on its source
and manner of adoption rather than its moral desirability. A rule may be legally valid
even if morally objectionable, provided it was created by an institution possessing
recognized authority.
Historical school - Answers laws develop through custom, experience, social
practices, judicial decisions, gradual political evolution.
Legal realism - Answers how a law operates in practice rather than only writing.
Looks at judicial behavior, institutional incentives, enforcement discretion, litigation
costs, bargaining costs, economic and social consequeces
sociological jurisprudence - Answers views laws as a social institution designed to
accommodate competing interest and promote workable social arrangments
law vs economics - Answers evaluates legal rules through concepts like efficiency,
incentives, transaction costs, agency costs, risk allocation
Purposes of Law - Answers - provide for some system of order that defines rules of
conduct and levies punishment for the violation of rules
- method for resolving disputes by providing a basis for deciding the legal interests
and rights of the parties
- creating reliability in business planning and commercial transactions by promoting
good faith dealing among merchants and consumers
Common law - Answers law made by the courts
Role of counsel as advisor and litigator... - Answers can become an analyst and
advisor
internal counsel - Answers deep knowledge of the business and easy access from
company to counsel
Lawyer represents - Answers the corporation or entity. Does not automatically
represent the CEO, direcetors, employees, shareholders, or affiliates
attorney-client privilege - Answers right of individual to have discussions with
his/her attorney kept private and confidential. The privilege belongs to the clients
NOT the attorney. Evidentiary privilege.
counsel's role in decision quality... - Answers counsel should help management
distinguish among what is lawful, unlawful, uncertain, lawful but imprudent, lawful
, but unethical, legally defensible but inconsistent with company values,, and
commercially desirable but requires risk mitigation
counsel as a translator of legal risk... - Answers should explain the governing rule,
relevant facts, probability of an adverse legal conclusion, likely severity of
consequences, available mitigation, cost of mitigation, residual uncertainty, and the
decision maker who owns the risk
Constitutional law - Answers is the foundation for all other law in the US and is the
supreme law of the land
consitutional law- - Answers 1. establishes structure for federal and state
governments setting rules for amending the Constitution and granting specific
enumerated powers to the different branches of government
2. establishes the concept of federalism, allowing for federal and state governments to
share powers
3. establishes individual civil rights and providing procedural protections for US
citizen from wrongful government actions
statutory law - Answers is enacted by legislatures.
ordinances - Answers written laws at the local level. generally regulatlate issues such
as zoning or impose health and safety regulations
statues - Answers written laws that are passed by the federal or state legislature then
either approved or rejected by the executive branch
plain meaning rule - Answers if the words in the statue have clear and widely
understood meanings, the court applies the stature in accordance with the rule
statutory scheme - Answers structure of the statue and the format of its mandates in a
law
administrative law - Answers governs the creation, authority, procedure, and review
of governmental agencies. Agencies generally act under authority delegated by
Congress or state legislatures. AKA regulations.. source of law that regulates the
exercise of authority by government agencies
Stare Decisis - Answers to stand by precedent and no to disturb what is settled.
Precedents and rules must be followed unless flatly absurd or unjust
Doctrine of Stare Decisis - Answers the principle that similar cases with similar facts
and issues should have the same judicial outcome. *one of the most important
concepts in American law
precedent - Answers applying the law of previous cases to current cases with
substantially similar circumstances
vertical stare decisis - Answers requires lower courts to follow controlling decisions
of superior courts within the same judicial hierarchy
horizontal stare decisis - Answers concerns whether a court follows its own prior
decisions
holding - Answers legal rule necessary to decide the case based on its material facts
dictum - Answers judicial statement not necessary to the outcome
student method - Answers identify the holding, state material facts, identify legal
issue, determine the rule applied, identify the reasoning essential to the outcome,
separate broader commentary from necessary reasoning
distinguishing a precedent... - Answers a court distinguishes rather than overrules a
precedent when it finds a legally material factual or doctrinal difference
overruling a precedent... - Answers a court rejects the legal rule of an earlier case
secondary sources of law - Answers have no independent authority and are not
legally binding.
1. restatements of the law