INTRODUCTION TO COMMON LAW
AND LEGAL ENGLISH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
common law ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3
sources of law ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
formal law-making: the court structure .............................................................................................................................. 11
precedent ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
History of the common law ............................................................................................................................................. 20
Anglo-saxon period ............................................................................................................................................................. 20
norman conquest & the birth of common law .................................................................................................................... 21
stability and stagnation: 1660 – 1830 ................................................................................................................................. 24
REForm and legislation: 1830 – ........................................................................................................................................... 25
the civil justice system .................................................................................................................................................... 26
adversarial system .......................................................................................................................................................... 33
rules of evidence .................................................................................................................................................................. 33
evidence .............................................................................................................................................................................. 33
decision to prosecute........................................................................................................................................................... 34
criminal law in england and wales ................................................................................................................................... 35
legal profession ................................................................................................................................................................... 35
terminology ......................................................................................................................................................................... 35
elements of crime in general ............................................................................................................................................... 36
R v collins ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36
the law of assault ................................................................................................................................................................ 37
update ................................................................................................................................................................................. 42
contempt of court reporting restrictions, ‘tommy robinson’ ............................................................................................ 42
contempt of court ................................................................................................................................................................ 42
the ‘tommy robinson’ cases................................................................................................................................................. 43
appeals ................................................................................................................................................................................ 43
new trial .............................................................................................................................................................................. 43
the huddersfield ‘grooming’ trials ....................................................................................................................................... 44
contract law .................................................................................................................................................................... 44
definition and elements of a contract ................................................................................................................................. 44
agreement ........................................................................................................................................................................... 44
offer ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
1
, acceptance .......................................................................................................................................................................... 45
unilateral agreement........................................................................................................................................................... 45
gazumping and fazundering ................................................................................................................................................ 46
enfoceable contract ............................................................................................................................................................. 46
privity of contract ................................................................................................................................................................ 46
equity and trusts ............................................................................................................................................................. 47
equity recap ......................................................................................................................................................................... 47
maxims of equity ................................................................................................................................................................. 47
equitable remedies .............................................................................................................................................................. 48
trusts: the epitome of an equitable remedy ........................................................................................................................ 48
express trusts....................................................................................................................................................................... 48
implied trusts ....................................................................................................................................................................... 48
certainties ............................................................................................................................................................................ 49
defamation, stephen Lawrence, double jeopardy and policing ........................................................................................ 49
defamation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 49
stephenl lawrence ............................................................................................................................................................... 50
Macpherson report.............................................................................................................................................................. 51
stephen lawrence ................................................................................................................................................................ 52
double jeopardy................................................................................................................................................................... 52
stephen lawrence ................................................................................................................................................................ 52
guilty of murder ................................................................................................................................................................... 53
stephen lawrence ................................................................................................................................................................ 53
metropolitan police service (mps) ....................................................................................................................................... 54
AND FINALLY ....................................................................................................................................................................... 55
general elections ............................................................................................................................................................. 55
general election ................................................................................................................................................................... 55
one person one vote, first past the post .............................................................................................................................. 56
constituencies ...................................................................................................................................................................... 56
constituencies (cont’d) ........................................................................................................................................................ 56
right to vote ......................................................................................................................................................................... 56
right to vote (Cont’d) ........................................................................................................................................................... 57
the government ................................................................................................................................................................... 57
political parties .................................................................................................................................................................... 57
2019 general elections ........................................................................................................................................................ 57
the legislative process of the uk parliament .................................................................................................................... 58
types of bill .......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
parliament acts 1911 and 1949........................................................................................................................................... 58
committee stage.................................................................................................................................................................. 58
voting .................................................................................................................................................................................. 58
2
, COMMON LAW
Common law has several meanings:
1. Law developed by judges in the 11th and 12th century to form a ‘common’ law for the
whole country. (As opposed to the situation prior to the Norman conquest)
2. The rules (substantive and procedural) developed by the judges; ‘judge-made law’.
3. Legal systems based on the English legal system: ‘common law systems’ (as opposed
to the civil law systems, eg: Belgium)
4. Law used in common law courts prior to the reorganization of the court structure in
1873-75 (as opposed to Equity in the Chancery courts).
EU countries with a common law system:
- Republic of Ireland
- Malta (mixed system with common law)
- Cyprus
1. 2. 3.
1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four nations, with
distinct legal systems for:
• England and Wales
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
2. Great Britain consists of:
• England
• Wales
• Scotland (mixed common law system) (Scotland is around one third of the land mass
of the UK. The largest local council is the Highlands and Islands, and the land mass
of the Highlands is slightly smaller than the land mass of Belgium)
3. England and Wales
3
, SOURCES OF LAW
No formal list of sources.
à … unlike continental legal systems.
à The source is case law and custom as developed in the common law.
à The most important source of new rules today is legislation.
à Recent addition: European law as a source of legal rules.
The origin source is reason.
- The source of legal rules is equity, reason, and good sense. (Lord Mansfield 1773)
- For common law it is said to be logical reason, for equity moral reason.
- Legal rules should therefore be understood from the point of view of justice.
- Ideal legal rules grounded in justice are not created or invented but discovered.
Non in legendo sed in intelligendo legis consistent
“The reason of the law is the life of the law, for tho’ a man can tell the law, yet if he know not
the reason thereof, he shall soon forget his superficial knowledge, but when he findeth the
right reason of the law and so bringeth it to his natural reason that he comprehendeth it as his
own, this will not only serve him for the understanding of that particular case but of many
others.”
Lord Chief Coke, early 17th century
à If you understand the case in front of you, doesn’t mean you understand the law.
Where do we find law?
Orthodox legal sources:
- Parliament (statutes & statutory instruments)
- Courts and tribunals (precedents) (common law)
- (European Community/Union)
Legislation à Parliament as a rule-maker (Parliament = Westminster!)
Devolved government:
Areas the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive are
responsible for, include:
- health
- education
- culture
- the environment
- transport
• Parliament is the most important law-maker in terms of the volume of rules created but
also in terms of hierarchy. (parliament divided in legislative & executive)
• Parliament is sovereign and supreme and as such has the ultimate decision-making power.
• The position of Parliament was settled in the Bill of Rights (1688/9).
• R (on the application of Miller) (Appellant) v The Prime Minister (Respondent) (à
Brexit) Cherry and others (Respondents) v Advocate General for Scotland (Appellant)
(Scotland) [2019] UKSC 41
Legislation is written in very precise language. By specialized legal draftsmen.
Legislation is not subject to judicial review by judges.
à A judge cannot look at a piece of legislation and say it’s unlawful or illegal. (But: They
can say it’s against the human right act and they can review secondary legislation). They can’t
scrap the law!
4
AND LEGAL ENGLISH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
common law ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3
sources of law ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
formal law-making: the court structure .............................................................................................................................. 11
precedent ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
History of the common law ............................................................................................................................................. 20
Anglo-saxon period ............................................................................................................................................................. 20
norman conquest & the birth of common law .................................................................................................................... 21
stability and stagnation: 1660 – 1830 ................................................................................................................................. 24
REForm and legislation: 1830 – ........................................................................................................................................... 25
the civil justice system .................................................................................................................................................... 26
adversarial system .......................................................................................................................................................... 33
rules of evidence .................................................................................................................................................................. 33
evidence .............................................................................................................................................................................. 33
decision to prosecute........................................................................................................................................................... 34
criminal law in england and wales ................................................................................................................................... 35
legal profession ................................................................................................................................................................... 35
terminology ......................................................................................................................................................................... 35
elements of crime in general ............................................................................................................................................... 36
R v collins ............................................................................................................................................................................. 36
the law of assault ................................................................................................................................................................ 37
update ................................................................................................................................................................................. 42
contempt of court reporting restrictions, ‘tommy robinson’ ............................................................................................ 42
contempt of court ................................................................................................................................................................ 42
the ‘tommy robinson’ cases................................................................................................................................................. 43
appeals ................................................................................................................................................................................ 43
new trial .............................................................................................................................................................................. 43
the huddersfield ‘grooming’ trials ....................................................................................................................................... 44
contract law .................................................................................................................................................................... 44
definition and elements of a contract ................................................................................................................................. 44
agreement ........................................................................................................................................................................... 44
offer ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
1
, acceptance .......................................................................................................................................................................... 45
unilateral agreement........................................................................................................................................................... 45
gazumping and fazundering ................................................................................................................................................ 46
enfoceable contract ............................................................................................................................................................. 46
privity of contract ................................................................................................................................................................ 46
equity and trusts ............................................................................................................................................................. 47
equity recap ......................................................................................................................................................................... 47
maxims of equity ................................................................................................................................................................. 47
equitable remedies .............................................................................................................................................................. 48
trusts: the epitome of an equitable remedy ........................................................................................................................ 48
express trusts....................................................................................................................................................................... 48
implied trusts ....................................................................................................................................................................... 48
certainties ............................................................................................................................................................................ 49
defamation, stephen Lawrence, double jeopardy and policing ........................................................................................ 49
defamation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 49
stephenl lawrence ............................................................................................................................................................... 50
Macpherson report.............................................................................................................................................................. 51
stephen lawrence ................................................................................................................................................................ 52
double jeopardy................................................................................................................................................................... 52
stephen lawrence ................................................................................................................................................................ 52
guilty of murder ................................................................................................................................................................... 53
stephen lawrence ................................................................................................................................................................ 53
metropolitan police service (mps) ....................................................................................................................................... 54
AND FINALLY ....................................................................................................................................................................... 55
general elections ............................................................................................................................................................. 55
general election ................................................................................................................................................................... 55
one person one vote, first past the post .............................................................................................................................. 56
constituencies ...................................................................................................................................................................... 56
constituencies (cont’d) ........................................................................................................................................................ 56
right to vote ......................................................................................................................................................................... 56
right to vote (Cont’d) ........................................................................................................................................................... 57
the government ................................................................................................................................................................... 57
political parties .................................................................................................................................................................... 57
2019 general elections ........................................................................................................................................................ 57
the legislative process of the uk parliament .................................................................................................................... 58
types of bill .......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
parliament acts 1911 and 1949........................................................................................................................................... 58
committee stage.................................................................................................................................................................. 58
voting .................................................................................................................................................................................. 58
2
, COMMON LAW
Common law has several meanings:
1. Law developed by judges in the 11th and 12th century to form a ‘common’ law for the
whole country. (As opposed to the situation prior to the Norman conquest)
2. The rules (substantive and procedural) developed by the judges; ‘judge-made law’.
3. Legal systems based on the English legal system: ‘common law systems’ (as opposed
to the civil law systems, eg: Belgium)
4. Law used in common law courts prior to the reorganization of the court structure in
1873-75 (as opposed to Equity in the Chancery courts).
EU countries with a common law system:
- Republic of Ireland
- Malta (mixed system with common law)
- Cyprus
1. 2. 3.
1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four nations, with
distinct legal systems for:
• England and Wales
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
2. Great Britain consists of:
• England
• Wales
• Scotland (mixed common law system) (Scotland is around one third of the land mass
of the UK. The largest local council is the Highlands and Islands, and the land mass
of the Highlands is slightly smaller than the land mass of Belgium)
3. England and Wales
3
, SOURCES OF LAW
No formal list of sources.
à … unlike continental legal systems.
à The source is case law and custom as developed in the common law.
à The most important source of new rules today is legislation.
à Recent addition: European law as a source of legal rules.
The origin source is reason.
- The source of legal rules is equity, reason, and good sense. (Lord Mansfield 1773)
- For common law it is said to be logical reason, for equity moral reason.
- Legal rules should therefore be understood from the point of view of justice.
- Ideal legal rules grounded in justice are not created or invented but discovered.
Non in legendo sed in intelligendo legis consistent
“The reason of the law is the life of the law, for tho’ a man can tell the law, yet if he know not
the reason thereof, he shall soon forget his superficial knowledge, but when he findeth the
right reason of the law and so bringeth it to his natural reason that he comprehendeth it as his
own, this will not only serve him for the understanding of that particular case but of many
others.”
Lord Chief Coke, early 17th century
à If you understand the case in front of you, doesn’t mean you understand the law.
Where do we find law?
Orthodox legal sources:
- Parliament (statutes & statutory instruments)
- Courts and tribunals (precedents) (common law)
- (European Community/Union)
Legislation à Parliament as a rule-maker (Parliament = Westminster!)
Devolved government:
Areas the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive are
responsible for, include:
- health
- education
- culture
- the environment
- transport
• Parliament is the most important law-maker in terms of the volume of rules created but
also in terms of hierarchy. (parliament divided in legislative & executive)
• Parliament is sovereign and supreme and as such has the ultimate decision-making power.
• The position of Parliament was settled in the Bill of Rights (1688/9).
• R (on the application of Miller) (Appellant) v The Prime Minister (Respondent) (à
Brexit) Cherry and others (Respondents) v Advocate General for Scotland (Appellant)
(Scotland) [2019] UKSC 41
Legislation is written in very precise language. By specialized legal draftsmen.
Legislation is not subject to judicial review by judges.
à A judge cannot look at a piece of legislation and say it’s unlawful or illegal. (But: They
can say it’s against the human right act and they can review secondary legislation). They can’t
scrap the law!
4
