BODIES OF LAW
What legal system is based on custom, usage and court decisions?
Common law
Which system, used in the US and Great Britain, has opposing parties gather and present evidence to a judge or jury?
The adversarial system
What is the name for a draft document presented to Parliament, before it becomes law?
A bill
What do you call the court where a case is heard for the very first time?
Lower court (court of first instance)
This word means "court proceedings" or "the process of taking a legal dispute to court"
Litigation
Gap-fill
"Civil law refers to a body of law ______ written legal codes derived from fundamental normative principles."
based on
Gap-fill
"In the adversarial system, parties ______ evidence and ______ their arguments to a judge or jury."
gather evidence, present arguments
A town council passes a rule regulating parking on public streets for residents' safety. What is this type of law called?
An ordinance (by-law)
Which court tries a person under the age of 18?
Juvenile court
This word refers to statements or sections within a law, contract, or agreement
Provisions
Name a key difference between civil law and common law systems.
Civil law is codified and judges are bound by written provisions; common law developed through custom and is based on precedents (past rulings), though it can be written today too.
In the inquisitorial system, who actively steers the search for evidence and personally questions the witnesses, including the defendant?
The presiding judge
What do you call rules issued by a government agency to carry out a statute — they're authorised by that statute and usually add more detail to it?
Regulations
In the UK, which court hears serious criminal cases before a judge and jury?
Crown Court
This word describes careless behaviour that causes harm or damage to another person.
Negligence
A man breaks into a store at night and steals money from the cash register. The police arrest him, and the state files charges against him in court, seeking imprisonment. Which body of law governs this case?
Criminal law (penal law)
A judge personally questions the defendant and directs evidence-gathering, while attorneys stay mostly silent, occasionally suggesting lines of inquiry. Which system is this, and is the attorney's role active or passive?
Inquisitorial system; attorneys are passive.
The EU issues an instrument setting out policy goals on data protection, but each member state must pass its own national law to implement it. What is this EU legal instrument called?
Directive
A landlord wants to recover $400 in unpaid rent — a small amount of money. Which court would handle this dispute?
Small-claims court
This word means money paid to make up for a loss, injury, or damage suffered by someone.
Compensation
Common law and civil law each have alternative names used in legal English. Name at least one alternative term for common law and one alternative term (or the name of the legal family) for civil law.
Common law = also called case law / judge-made law or Anglo-Saxon legal system.
Civil law = also known as the Romano-Germanic legal system (legal system developed from Roman codified law) or Continental law.
Both systems aim to find the truth but use different methods. Explain the difference using the ideas of "competition" and "questioning."
The adversarial system relies on competition between opposing parties to reveal the truth and prioritizes individual rights of the accused. The inquisitorial system relies on the judge's questioning of those closest to the events, placing the search for truth above individual rights.
Explain the difference between a statute, regulations, and a directive — who creates each, and at what level?
A statute is enacted by a national legislature. Regulations are issued by a government agency to add detail and enforce a statute. A directive is an EU-level instrument establishing policy that member states must incorporate into national law.
Explain the difference between an appellate court and a moot court.
An appellate court reviews a real case that has already been decided in a lower court. A moot court is where law students argue hypothetical cases for practice — no real legal consequences.
A factory illegally dumps waste into a river, damaging crops on nearby farms. The farmers take the factory to court. Using the words negligence, liable, and compensation, explain in 1–2 sentences how this case is likely to be resolved.
The court is likely to find the factory liable for negligence, since it failed to take reasonable care to prevent harm, and order the factory to pay compensation to the farmers for their damaged crops.