Book Ⅰ INTRODUCTION TO LAW 3
1. THE NATURE AND FUNCTIONS OF LAW 3
"Truisms" about Human Nature 3
Social Order and Law 4
The Normative Character of Law and Morality 8
The Legitimacy of Law 10
2. METHODS OF SOCIAL CONTROL THROUGH LAW 13
The Penal Technique 15
The Grievance-Remedial Technique 20
The Private Arranging Technique 23
The Constitutive Technique 25
The Administrative-Regulatory Technique 26
The Fiscal Technique 27
The Conferral of Social Benefits Technique 27
Combinations of Techniques 29
The Legal Techniques and the Sources of Law 29
3. CLASSIFICATIONS OF LAW 31
Subject Classifications 31
Law and Equity 32
Civil and Criminal Law 37
Public and Private Law 39
Conclusion 42
Book Ⅱ SOURCES OF LAW AND METHODS OF LEGAL REASONING 47
4. LAW AND FACT 47
The Brain-Damaged Baby&Whitehouse v. Jordan: 47
Who Should Decide a Question—Layman or Judge? 50
Who Should Decide a Question—Trial Court or Appeal Court? 52
When Does a Decision on a Question Bind Future Courts? 56
Conclusion 57
5. FACT FINDING AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION 59
The Adversary Method 59
The Inquisitorial Method 62
Merits of the Methods 64
Non-Adjudicatory Methods 66
6. DETERMINING THE LAW 70
Sources of Law 70
Legal Language 72
Legal Reasoning and Logic 74
Legal Reasoning and Justification 76
The Limits of Legal Reasoning 78
Conclusion 79
7. CASE LAW 81
Analogy, Rules and Precedent 82
The Formulation and Application of Case Law Rules 85
The Ratio Decidendi 85
Obiter Dictum 89
Finding the Ratio of Decisions in Appellate Courts 91
Distinguishing Cases 93
Stare Decisis and the Hierarchy of Courts 96
A Comparison with the Position of Case Law in French and German Law 103
Conclusion 103
8. CASE LAW IN OPERATION 108
The Categories of Negligently Caused Economic Loss 108
The Case Law Development 111
Conclusion 119
Extracts from the Speech of Lord Roskill in Junior Books Ltd. v. Veitchi Co. Ltd. [1983] A.C. 520 at pp. 539 et seq. 121
9. LEGISLATION 128
An Outline of the Legislative Process 128
Mechanics of Enactment 129
Legislation and Language 131
Clear and Problem Cases 133
Interpretation of Legislation by the Courts 134
Current Judicial Practice 149
Reform Proposals 150
10. LEGISLATION IN OPERATION 155
The Scheme of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 155
The Problems 156
Intentional Homelessness—A Wider Perspective 162
Extracts from the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 168
Code of Guidance to the 1977 Act 170
11. CODES AND CODIFICATION 173
Bentham and the History of Codification in England and Wales 173
Choosing an Appropriate Model 174
Interpretation and the Role of the Judge 175
The Pros and Cons of Codification 176
Codification in Operation—The Sale of Goods Act 1979 178
12. DOCTRINE 182
General Comparisons of Approach 182
The Position of Doctrine in English Law 182
The Status and Influence of Doctrine 186
The Citation of Modern Writers 187
13. THE EUROPEAN INFLUENCE 192
The European Convention on Human Rights 192
The European Economic Community (EEC) 193
Institutional Framework 194
Sources of Law 194
The Role of the E.C.J. 196
The Court and its Legal Method 196
Book Ⅲ WIDER DIMENSIONS OF THE LAW AND LEGAL METHOD 205
14. THE CHANGING LAW 205
The Nature of Legal Change 205
Policy Change and Legal Change 206
Policy Change and Legal Method 207
Law Reform and Legal Method 209
Limitations of Judicial Law Reform 209
Permanent Law Reform Agencies 210
The Pattern of Legal Change 211
Changing Tort Law 211
Conclusion 220
15. COMPARATIVE LEGAL CULTURES AND METHOD 223
The Concept of Legal Culture 223
Types of Legal Culture 224
16. LAW, JUSTICE AND POLICY 234
Questions of Value in the Law 234
Standards of Good Legal Craftsmanship and Process 235
Identifying Substantive Legal Values 235
The Concept of Justice 237
The Concept of Policy 241
Justice, Policy and Practical Reasoning 243
APPENDICES 251
1. SPECIMEN SOURCES 251
A Statute—The Education Act 1975 251
A Statutory Instrument—The Boot and Floor Polish Wages Council (Great Britain) (Abolition) Order 1974 255
An English Law Report—Regina v. Venna [1976] 1 O.B. 421 257
A Common Market Law Report—Auditeur du Travail at the Tribunal de Mons v. Cagnon and Taquet (Case 69/74) [1975] 2 C.M.L.R. 68 266
2. THE LAW LIBRARY, LEGAL MATERIALS AND THEIR USE 274
United Kingdom and Ireland 274
Primary Sources 274
1. Statutes 274
2. Delegated Legislation 277
3. Law Reports 277
The Year Books 1282-1537 277
Named Reporters 1537-1865 277
The English Reports Full Reprint 278
Law Reports 1865 to date 278
Other Series 279
Scotland 279
Ireland 279
Authorised Abbreviations for Modern Law Reports 280
Computer Retrieval of Primary Source Material 285
Secondary Materials 286
Encyclopedias of English Law 286
Digests 287
Textbooks 288
The Scottish Institutional Writers 288
Legal Dictionaries 288
Periodicals 289
Law Reform Materials 289
Australia 290
Primary Materials 290
Secondary Materials 290
Canada 291
Primary Materials 291
Secondary Materials 291
New Zealand 292
Primary Materials 292
Secondary Materials 292
The United States of America 293
Primary Materials 293
Secondary Materials 294
France 295
Germany 295
European Economic Community 295
Bibliography of Further Reading 296
Name Index 299
Subject Index 301