Vocabulary

background n 1 предыстория; предпосылки; исходная ситуация; 2 фон

beneficiary n бенефициарий (получатель доходов/ выгод от имущества,

находящегося в доверительном управлении)

break a contract v нарушить контракт /договор

claim n 1 требование; 2 заявление

common law n 1 общее право (как прецедентное право в отличие от статутного

права); 2 общее право, англосаксонское право (в отличие от континентального

права)щее право, англосаксонское право статустного праваравленииble to do Latin America and many countries in Asia and Africa whic); 3 общее право Англии, обычно common law of England (как совокупность

прецедентного и статутного права)

common-law court n суд общего права

comprehensive adj понятный

continental law n континентально-европейское право; syn Roman (Civil) law

римское право

damages n возмещение убытков

equitable adj справедливый

equity n 1 справедливость; 2 право справедливости; equity court суд “права

справедливости”, суд системы “права справедливости”

fraud n мошенничество, обман; business fraud мошенничество в бизнесе

guilt n вина; виновность

innocence n невиновность

justice n 1 правосудие; 2 справедливость; system of justice система правосудия

lord chancellor, Lord Chancellor n Лорд-канцлер (главное судебное должностное

лицо, спикер палаты лордов, член кабинета министров)

performance n исполнение; specific performance реальное исполнение

precise adj точный

promote v способствовать; содействовать

pursue v преследовать; искать в суде

regarding adv относительно

retain v сохранять

ruling n 1 решение (суда); 2 издание норм, правил; court rulings решения суда

seek (sought, sought) v добиваться; требовать

stare decisis [`sta:ri di`saisis] лат. following precedent “стоять на решённом”

(формула функционирования и развития права на основе судебных прецедентов);

обязывающая сила прецедентов

theft n кража; computer theft кража с использованием компьютера

trust n траст, доверительный фонд

Reading tasks

Comprehension check

A Read the text to decide whether the statements below are true (T) or false (F).

1 The law in England is the same as the law in France. _______

2 English law has evolved gradually. _______

3 Most of English law has been codified. _______

4 The common law was developed by the judges. _______

5 All the courts in the system are of equal authority. _______

B Study the following definitions of COMMON LAW. Translate them into Russian.

TEXT 1: Roger Bird, Osborne's Concise Law Dictionary, Seventh Edition

common law. That part of the law of England formulated, developed and administered by the old common law courts, based originally on the com­mon customs of the country, and unwritten. It is opposed to equity (the body of rules administered by the Court of chancery¹); to statute law (the law laid down in Acts of Parliament); to special law (the law administered in special courts such as ecclesias­tical law, and the law merchant); and to the civil law (the law of Rome).

It is 'the commonsense of the community, crystallised and formulated by our forefathers'. It is not local law, nor the result of legislation.

¹ the Court of Chancery амер. суд системы “права праведливости”

TEXT 3: Powell R. Law today. 1993.

common law. A system in which legal decisions are based upon decisions in previous cases (Doctrine of precedent) and on custom, rather than on detailed written laws. It is sometimes called case law and originally developed in England. Common law is an important part of the legal systems of many countries which have been influenced by English law, such as the USA and India.

C Answer these questions.

1 What do you understand by common law?

2 What was the original source of common-law principles?

3 Would a codified system of law make the law more a) certain, or b) flexible?

4 Why is it important for judges to be independent?

5 What is stare decisis?

6 What is the name of the court which administered equity?

7 What other countries apart from England have a common-law legal system?

Language focus

Put the words in brackets into the correct form, active or passive. Translate the text.

The English legal system 1) _____ (centralize) through a court structure which is common to the whole country. It is hierarchical, with the higher courts and judges having more authority than the lower ones. Some important characteristics of English law are:

1. English law 2) _____ (base) on the common law tradition. By this we 3) _____ (mean) a system of 'judge made' law which continuously 4) _____ (develop) over the years through the decisions of judges in the cases brought before them. These judicial precedents are an important source of law in the English legal system. Common law systems are different from the civil law systems of Western Europe and Latin America. In these countries the law 5) _____ (codify) or systematically collected to form a consistent body of legal rules?

2. English judges have an important role in developing case law and stating the meaning of Acts of Parliament.

3. The judges are independent of the government and the people appearing before them. This 6) _____ (allow) them to make impartial decisions.