CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO COMMON LAW SYSTEM 1
1 COMMON LAW 1
1.1 Law 1
1.2 Common Law 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
PREFACE 5
1.3 Law versus Equity 5
1.4 Statutory Law versus Case Law 6
1.5 Summary 7
2 COMMON LAW COURT SYSTEM 8
2.1 The English Court System 9
2.2 The American Court System 15
3 SOURCES OF LAW 20
3.1 Sources of Law in England 20
3.2 Sources of Law in the United States 21
4 LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 23
4.1 Commencement of Proceedings—Pretrial 24
4.2 Trial Date and Jury Selection 26
4.3 Trial 28
4.4 Appeal 34
4.5 Summary 35
CHAPTER TWO CASE LAW 37
5 DOCTRINE OF STARE DECISIS 37
5.1 Rule of Precedent 37
5.2 Doctrine of Stare Decisis 38
5.3 The Function of Stare Decisis 39
5.4 Courts Affected by Stare Decisis 42
5.5 Components of A Judicial Decision 44
5.6 Types of Judicial Decisions 45
5.7 Different Ways to Use Precedents 47
6 COMMON LAW REASONING 48
6.1 Common Law Reasoning Principles 48
6.2 Typical Types of Common Law Reasoning 49
6.3 Techniques and Arguments Used with Case Authorities 51
6.4 Illustration of the Common Law Reasoning 52
7 CASE REPORTS 120
7.1 Law Reports in England 121
7.2 Case Reports in the United States 124
7.3 Case Names and Citations 129
CHAPTER THREE CASE ANALYSIS 133
8 CASE ANALYSIS 133
8.1 The Basic Structure of a Judicial Opinion 134
8.2 Procedural History 140
8.3 Statement of Facts 141
8.4 Issue（s） 143
8.5 Holding（s） 145
8.6 Reasons and Policies 148
8.7 Judgment 149
8.8 Complete the Brief 149
8.9 Case Brief Exercises 150
8.10 Sample Case Briefs 176
8.11 Further Examining Case Law Approach 178
8.12 Summary 241
9 COMMON LAW ANALYSES 243
CHAPTER FOUR LEGAL DOCUMENT DRAFTING 243
10 LEGAL MEMORANDA 245
10.1 Principles of Drafting 245
10.2 Writing Techniques 246
10.3 Elements of a Memorandum 247
10.4 Heading 253
10.5 Questions Presented 254
10.6 Brief Answers 256
10.7 Statement of Facts 257
10.8 Discussion 259
10.9 Conclusion 260
10.10 Summary 262
10.11 Drafting Exercise 263
11 APPELLATE BRIEFS 267
11.1 Petitioner's Brief 268
11.2 Respondent's Brief 306
REFERENCES 345