Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
Instructor Manual
Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law
and Legal Reasoning
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Learning Objectives.......................................................................................................2
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................3
Discussion Questions....................................................................................................7
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 1
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is for students to learn how business law and the legal environment affect
business decisions. The laws may change, but the ability to analyze and evaluate the legal (and ethical)
ramifications of situations as they arise is an invaluable and lasting skill. Students will learn how to think
about the law and the legal environment and develop critical-thinking and legal reasoning skills.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1. Identify the four primary sources of law in the United States.
2. Define precedent and identify situations when a court might depart from precedent.
3. Explain the difference between remedies at law and remedies in equity.
4. Describe the important differences between civil law and criminal law.
[return to top]
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
New chapter opening quote from U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
New introductory example in the opening section.
New case problem 1-6 on stare decisis [Garcia v. Gateway Hotel, LP (2023)].
Should Gateway Hotels be awarded attorney’s fees after successfully defending itself against a
nonfrivolous lawsuit claiming that its website did not comply with the ADA?
New Sample Court Case, Miles v. Kirkland’s Stores Inc., decided in 2024.
New Building Analytical Skills feature introducing the IRAC method of legal
reasoning, using Miles v. Kirkland’s Stores Inc. as the example.
New briefed version of the new sample court case in Appendix to Chapter 1.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. 1-1 Business Activities and the Legal Environment (PPT Slides 4-6)
a. Example 1.1 YouTube
II. 1-2 Sources of American Law (PPT Slides 7-12)
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 2
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
a. Constitutional Law
i. Deals with the fundamental principles by which the government exercises its
authority.
ii. Knowledge Checkpoint (1) PPT Slide 8: Test students’
knowledge of the sources of American law, the types of laws codified by a
specific source, and the hierarchy of applicable law.
b. Statutory Law
i. The body of law enacted by legislative bodies.
1. Local Ordinances
2. Applicability of Statutes
a) Example 1.2 Sanctuary Cities
3. Uniform Laws
4. The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
c.Administrative Law
i. Federal Agencies
ii. State and Local Agencies
iii. Agency Creation
iv. Rulemaking
1. Example 1.4 The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
2. Legislative Rules
a) Notice of proposed rulemaking
b) A comment period
c) The final rule
3. Interpretive Rules
a) Example 1.5 The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
v. Enforcement and Investigation
vi. Adjudication
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 3
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
d. Case Law and Common Law Doctrines
III. 1-3 The Common Law (PPT Slides 13-17)
a. Early English Courts
i. Common law-body of general rules that applied throughout the entire English
realm.
b. Stare Decisis
i. Latin phrase meaning “to stand on decided cases”
1. Controlling Precedents
a) Binding authority
2. Stare Decisis and Legal Stability
3. Departures from Precedent
a) Classic Case Example 1.6 Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka
4. When There Is No Precedent
a) Persuasive authority – court may consult for guidance but is not
binding on the court
5. Stare Decisis and Legal Reasoning
a) Basic Steps in Legal Reasoning
(i) Issue – What are the key facts and issues?
(ii) Rule – What rule of law applies to the case?
(iii) Application – How does the rule of law apply to
the particular facts and circumstances of this case?
(iv) Conclusion – What conclusion should be drawn?
b) There Is No One “Right” Answer
c. Equitable Remedies and Courts of Equity
i. Example 1.7 Elena
ii. Remedies in Equity
1. Seeks to supply a remedy when no adequate remedy at law is available.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 4
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Instructor Manual
Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law
and Legal Reasoning
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Learning Objectives.......................................................................................................2
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................3
Discussion Questions....................................................................................................7
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 1
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is for students to learn how business law and the legal environment affect
business decisions. The laws may change, but the ability to analyze and evaluate the legal (and ethical)
ramifications of situations as they arise is an invaluable and lasting skill. Students will learn how to think
about the law and the legal environment and develop critical-thinking and legal reasoning skills.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1. Identify the four primary sources of law in the United States.
2. Define precedent and identify situations when a court might depart from precedent.
3. Explain the difference between remedies at law and remedies in equity.
4. Describe the important differences between civil law and criminal law.
[return to top]
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
New chapter opening quote from U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
New introductory example in the opening section.
New case problem 1-6 on stare decisis [Garcia v. Gateway Hotel, LP (2023)].
Should Gateway Hotels be awarded attorney’s fees after successfully defending itself against a
nonfrivolous lawsuit claiming that its website did not comply with the ADA?
New Sample Court Case, Miles v. Kirkland’s Stores Inc., decided in 2024.
New Building Analytical Skills feature introducing the IRAC method of legal
reasoning, using Miles v. Kirkland’s Stores Inc. as the example.
New briefed version of the new sample court case in Appendix to Chapter 1.
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. 1-1 Business Activities and the Legal Environment (PPT Slides 4-6)
a. Example 1.1 YouTube
II. 1-2 Sources of American Law (PPT Slides 7-12)
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 2
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
a. Constitutional Law
i. Deals with the fundamental principles by which the government exercises its
authority.
ii. Knowledge Checkpoint (1) PPT Slide 8: Test students’
knowledge of the sources of American law, the types of laws codified by a
specific source, and the hierarchy of applicable law.
b. Statutory Law
i. The body of law enacted by legislative bodies.
1. Local Ordinances
2. Applicability of Statutes
a) Example 1.2 Sanctuary Cities
3. Uniform Laws
4. The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
c.Administrative Law
i. Federal Agencies
ii. State and Local Agencies
iii. Agency Creation
iv. Rulemaking
1. Example 1.4 The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
2. Legislative Rules
a) Notice of proposed rulemaking
b) A comment period
c) The final rule
3. Interpretive Rules
a) Example 1.5 The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
v. Enforcement and Investigation
vi. Adjudication
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 3
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Miller, Business Law Today, Standard Edition, 14e, ©2026, 9798214045849; Chapter 1: Law and Legal Reasoning
d. Case Law and Common Law Doctrines
III. 1-3 The Common Law (PPT Slides 13-17)
a. Early English Courts
i. Common law-body of general rules that applied throughout the entire English
realm.
b. Stare Decisis
i. Latin phrase meaning “to stand on decided cases”
1. Controlling Precedents
a) Binding authority
2. Stare Decisis and Legal Stability
3. Departures from Precedent
a) Classic Case Example 1.6 Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka
4. When There Is No Precedent
a) Persuasive authority – court may consult for guidance but is not
binding on the court
5. Stare Decisis and Legal Reasoning
a) Basic Steps in Legal Reasoning
(i) Issue – What are the key facts and issues?
(ii) Rule – What rule of law applies to the case?
(iii) Application – How does the rule of law apply to
the particular facts and circumstances of this case?
(iv) Conclusion – What conclusion should be drawn?
b) There Is No One “Right” Answer
c. Equitable Remedies and Courts of Equity
i. Example 1.7 Elena
ii. Remedies in Equity
1. Seeks to supply a remedy when no adequate remedy at law is available.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 4
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
