The English legal system

Law of the United Kingdom and Ireland > England and Wales > Minor and popular works

Edition Details

Creator or Attribution (Responsibility): Alisdair Gillespie
Biografical Information: Alisdair A. Gillespie
LLB (Hons), Pg.D.(LTHE), M.Jur, Barrister (Middle Temple)
Mr Gillespie is a Reader in Law at De Montfort University. He has written numerous articles on the law relating to the abuse of children and the law relating to covert policing. He is a member of the Home Secretary’s Internet Task Force on Child Protection.
Language: English
Jurisdiction(s): England
Publication Information: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007
Material: Internet resource
Type: Book, Internet Resource
Permalink: https://books.lawi.org.uk/the-english-legal-system-4323/ (Stable identifier)

Short Description

XXXVII, 505 pages ; 25 cm

Purpose and Intended Audience

Useful for students learning an area of law, The English legal system is also useful for lawyers seeking to apply the law to issues arising in practice.

Research References

Providing references to further research sources: Search

More Options

Bibliographic information

Responsable Person: Alisdair A. Gillespie.
Publication Date: 2007
Country/State: England
Number of Editions: 30 editions
First edition Date: 2007
Last edition Date: 2015
Languages: British English
Library of Congress Code: KD662
Dewey Code: 349.42
ISBN: 9780199281343 0199281343
OCLC: 76850846

Publisher Description:

The English Legal System provides a lively and approachable introduction for those new to the study of law. The textbook presents the main areas of the English legal system and invites students to critique the wider aspects of how law is made and reformed.
Clearly structured in four parts, and designed to reflect the content of legal system courses, the book provides thorough and informative coverage of varied topics including the sources of law, the legal profession, human rights, civil disputes, the criminal courts, litigation, and tribunals.

Main Contents

The English legal system
Domestic sources of law : parliamentary material
Domestic sources of law : case law
International sources of law
Human Rights Act 1998
Judges and judicial independence
The legal professions
Funding legal services
Preliminary matters
Summary trials
Trials on indictment
Criminal appeals
Civil litigation
Tribunals
Alternative dispute resolution
The future.

Brief contents
Preface	XVII
1	The English Legal System	1
PART I Sources of the Law	17
2Domestic Sources of Law: Parliamentary Material19
3Domestic Sources of Law: Case Law60
4International Sources of Law87
5Human Rights Act 1998135
PART II The Practitioners of the Law	171
6Judges and Judicial Independence173
7The Legal Professions220
8Funding Legal Services262
PART III The Criminal Justice System	279
9Preliminary Matters281
10Summary Trials318
11Trials on Indictment342
12Criminal Appeals382
PART IV Civil Disputes	409
13Civil Litigation411
14Tribunals449
15Alternative Dispute Resolution468
16The Future481
Bibliography	489
Index	00
Detailed contents
Preface	xvii
	1	The English Legal System	1
Introduction	2
1.1	England	2
	1.1.1 The constituent parts	2
	1.1.2 The United Kingdom	4
	1.2	Legal	5
	1.2.1 Classifying law	5
	1.2.2 What is law?	9
	1.3 	System	11
	1.3.1 Common law	12
	1.3.2 An adversarial system	13
v Summary	14
PART I Sources of the Law	17
	2	Domestic Sources of Law: Parliamentary Material	19
Introduction	20
	2.1	Domestic law	20
	2.1.1 International relations	20
	2.1.2 Constitution	21
	2.1.3 Primary and secondary sources	22
	2.2 	Statutory law	23
	2.2.1 Primary legislation	25
	2.2.2 content of a statute	31
	2.3 	Statutory interpretation	36
	2.3.1 Literal rule	37
	2.3.2 Golden rule	39
	2.3.3 Mischief rule	39
	2.3.4 The Human Rights Act 1998	40
	2.3.5 Aids to interpretation	43
	2.3.6 Presumptions	54
v Summary	57
y End of chapter questions	58
Further reading	58
3	Domestic Sources of Law: Case Law	60
Introduction	61
	3.1	Reporting of cases	61
	3.1.1 Printed series	62
	3.1.2 Internet sources	66
	3.1.3 Reporters	67
3.2Hierarchy of courts68
3.3Legal principle69
	3.3.1 Ratio decidendi	69
	3.3.2 Obiter dictum	72
	3.4 	The operation of precedent	73
	3.4.1 Bound by precedent	74
	3.4.2 Distinguishing	82
	3.4.3 Overruling	83
v Summary	85
y End of chapter questions	86
Further reading	86
	4	International Sources of Law	87
Introduction	88
4.1 Identifying the institutions88
4.2 General international sources of law89
	4.2.1 Finding the law	90
	4.2.2 Enforceability	93
	4.3 	European Union law	96
	4.3.1 From EEC to EU	97
	4.3.2 The institutions	101
	4.3.3 Sources of EC law	110
	4.3.4 Supremacy of EC law	115
	4.4 	European Convention on Human Rights	125
	4.4.1 Background to the Convention	125
	4.4.2 The institutions	126
	4.4.3 Identifying the law	128
	v Summary	132
y End of chapter questions	133
Further reading	133
5	Human Rights Act 1998	135
Introduction	136
	5.1 	The Human Rights Act 1998	136
	5.1.1 The decision to incorporate	136
	5.1.2 The basic framework	138
	5.2 	The individual rights	152
	5.2.1 Absolute and qualified rights	152
	5.2.2 Positive and negative obligations	152
	5.2.3 Principal Convention rights	153
	5.3 	The impact of the Act	166
	v Summary	168
y End of chapter questions	169
Further reading	196
PART II The Practitioners of the Law	171
6	Judges and Judicial Independence	173
	Introduction 	174
	6.1	The judicial office	176
	6.1.1 Senior judges	176
	6.1.2 Superior judges	178
	6.1.3 Inferior judges	179
	6.2	Constitutional reform	181
	6.2.1 Lord Chancellor	182
	6.2.2 Removal of judges from the legislature	185
	6.3 	Judicial appointments	187
	6.3.1 Judicial Appointments Commission	188
	6.3.2 Supreme Court appointments	190
	6.3.3 Appointments Commissions: the solution?	190
	6.3.4 Diversity	192
6.4Judicial training193
6.5Judicial independence200
	6.5.1 Independent from whom?	202
	6.5.2 Securing independence	206
	6.6	Judicial ethics	212
	6.6.1 Financial issues	212
	6.6.2 Politics	213
	6.6.3 Appearance of bias	213
	6.7	Restrictions on practice	217
	v Summary	218
y End of chapter questions	218
Further reading	219
7	The Legal Professions	220
Introduction	221
7.1 Defining the professions221
7.2 Barristers222
	7.2.1 History of the Bar	222
	7.2.2 education and training	225
	7.2.3 Practice	229
	7.3 	Solicitors	233
	7.3.1 Education and training	234
	7.3.2 Practice	236
	7.4 	Queen’s counsel	238
	7.4.1 Appointment	239
	7.4.2 Practice	240
	7.5	Fusion	241
	7.5.1 Advantages of fusion	241
	7.5.2 Disadvantages of fusion	242
7.6 Diversity in the professions244
7.7Other legal professions246
	7.7.1 Legal executives	246
	7.7.2 Paralegals	248
7.8	Complaints and discipline	249
	7.8.1 Codes of Conduct	249
7.9	Legal ethics	253
	7.9.1 Responsibility to clients	253
	7.9.2 Practical ethical issues	257
	v Summary	259
y End of chapter questions	260
Further reading	261
8	Funding Legal Services	262
Introduction	263
8.1 Background to legal aid263
8.2 Access to Justice Act 1999265
	8.2.1 Legal Services Commission	265
	8.2.2 Community Legal Service	265
	8.2.3 Criminal Defence Service	267
	8.3 	Legal aid and rights	270
	8.3.1 A human right?	270
	8.3.2 Fair trial through free representation	272
	8.4	Alternative funding arrangements	273
	8.4.1 Conditional fee arrangements	273
	8.4.2 Law centres	275
	8.4.3 Pro bono	276
	v Summary	276
y End of chapter questions	277
Further reading	277
PART III The Criminal Justice System	279
9	Preliminary Matters	281
Introduction	282
	9.1 	Prosecuting agencies	282
	9.1.1 The Crown Prosecution Service	282
	9.1.2 other state-funded prosecuting agencies	284
	9.1.3 Private prosecutions	286
	9.2	Decision to prosecute	288
	9.2.1 Charging	288
	9.3	Selecting the charges	292
	9.3.1 Principles	292
	9.3.2 Over-charging	293
	9.3.3 Diversion	293
	9.4	Challenging the decision	296
	9.4.1 The accused	296
	9.4.2 Victims	298
	9.4.3 challenge before a crime	300
	9.5	Immunity	301
	9.6	Bail or remand?	302
	9.6.1 Bail and human rights	302
	9.6.2 Police bail	304
	9.6.3 Court bail	304
	9.6.4 Breach of bail	306
	9.6.5 Appeals in respect of bail	307
	9.7	Transferring the matter to court	308
	9.7.1 Classification of offences	308
	9.7.2 transferring the matter	311
	v Summary	315
y End of chapter questions	316
Further reading	316
10	Summary Trials	318
Introduction	319
	10.1	Those in court	319
	10.1.1 Magistrates	319
	10.1.2 Justices’ Clerk	327
	10.1.3 Lawyers	330
	10.2 	The trial	332
	10.2.1 Preliminary matters	332
	10.2.2 The prosecution case	334
	10.2.3 submission of no case to answer	336
	10.2.4 Defence case	337
	10.2.5 The verdict	337
	10.2.6 Sentencing	339
	v Summary	339
y End of chapter questions	340
Further reading	340
11	Trials on Indictment	342
Introduction	343
	11.1 	Those in court	343
	11.1.1 The judge	343
	11.1.2 The jury	350
	11.1.3 Lawyers	355
	11.1.4 Court clerk	357
11.1.5 Stenographer	357
11.1.6 Ushers	357
	11.2	Pre-trial matters	357
	11.2.1 The plea	358
	11.2.2 Listing	363
11.3	The trial	363
	11.3.1 Empanelling the jury	364
	11.3.2 The prosecution case	369
	11.3.3 Submission of no case to answer	370
	11.3.4 The defence case	371
	11.3.5 Closing speeches	373
	11.3.6 Judicial summing up	374
	11.3.7 Jury retirement	374
	11.3.8 The verdict	377
	v Summary	380
y End of chapter questions	381
Further reading	381
12	Criminal Appeals	
Introduction	382
12.1Summary trials or trials on indictment383
12.2Appeals from a summary trial383
	12.2.1 Appeal to the Crown Court	383
	12.2.2 Appeal by way of case stated	383
	12.2.3 Judicial review	385
	12.3	Appeal from a trial on indictment	387
	12.3.1 Leave	387
	12.3.2 The hearing	388
	12.3.3 Decision	389
	12.3.4 Frivolous appeals	390
	12.4 	Appeal following an acquittal	392
	12.4.1 reference to the Court of Appeal	393
	12.4.2 Prosecution rights of appeal	394
	12.4.3 Double jeopardy	395
12.5	Appeal against sentence	398
	12.5.1 Appeal by convicted person	401
	12.5.2 Unduly lenient sentence	401
12.6	Miscarriages of justice: the Criminal Cases Review Commission	403
	v Summary	405
y End of chapter questions	407
Further reading	407
PART IV Civil Disputes	409
13	Civil Litigation	411
Introduction	412
	13.1 	Civil litigation	412
	13.1.1 The Woolf reforms	412
	13.1.2 Civil Procedure Rules	414
	13.1.3 Identifying the court	418
	13.1.4 Allocating tracks	420
	13.1.5 Payment into court	422
	13.1.6 Interest	425
	13.2	Small claims court	426
	13.2.1 Initial action	427
	13.2.2 The hearing	432
	13.2.3 Post-trial	433
	13.3	Judicial review	435
	13.3.1 Pre-hearing matters	436
	13.3.2 Permission stage	441
	13.3.3 The hearing	443
	13.3.4 Post-hearing matters	445
	v Summary	447
y End of chapter questions	447
Further reading	448
14	Tribunals	449
Introduction	450
	14.1 	The tribunal system	450
	14.1.1 Independence	451
	14.1.2 Oversight	452
	14.1.3 Composition of tribunals	453
	14.2	Court or tribunal?	454
	14.2.1 Precedent	455
	14.2.2 Representation	457
	14.3 	The tribunals	459
	14.3.1 rdinary (open) tribunals	459
	14.3.2 Closed tribunals	462
	14.3.3 A single system?	465
	v Summary	407
y End of chapter questions	467
Further reading	467
15	Alternative Dispute Resolution	468
Introduction	469
15.1 Shift from adversariality469
15.2 What is alternative dispute resolution?470
	15.2.1 Arbitration	471
	15.2.2 Mediation	471
	15.2.3 Conciliation	472
15.3 Encouraging ADR473
15.4 Reaction of lawyers475
	15.4.1 Advising ADR	475
	15.4.2 Lawyers as arbitrators or mediators	475
	15.5	The future of ADR	477
	v Summary	479
y End of chapter questions	479
Further reading	479
16	The Future	481
Introduction	482
16.1 ‘English’ Legal System482
16.2 The Supreme Court483
16.3 Legal aid484
	16.3.1 Criminal legal aid	484
	16.3.2 Civil legal aid	485
16.4 Criminal appeals486
16.5 Conclusion487
Bibliography	489
Index	00

The English legal system

The English legal system