Прочитайте текст и скажите, к какой правовой системе следует отнести Россию
While establishing its legal system Russia has passed several stages which can be defined according to their historical periods.
Before the socialist revolution (1917) Russian law system borrowed much from German legal system and formally could be included into the German sub-branch of the continental law. After the October Revolution Soviet lawyers decided to find their own unique way in law and followed this path for at least 75 years, they tried to find their own identity and to create Soviet socialist law in Russia. After these attempts failed, Russia tried to come back to its roots, i.e., to the European system of law.
Therefore, from the formal point of view the Russian law system is closer to the Roman-German law than to the Anglo-American one. It has many features of European continental law but we cannot say that it fully fits it. Modern post-soviet Russian legal system obtains its individual approaches to various aspects of law.
As Russia’s legal system is based on a civil law system, influenced by Roman law, its emphasis is made on codification. All decisions are based on the foundation of statutes and codes rather than judicial precedent, as it is evident in common law. It is brightly demonstrated, for example, in criminal law. As in other civil law countries, the pretrial investigation in Russia is the dominant phase in the criminal process. In this part of the process, a judicial official of the state puts together a case file which contains all evidence of the case and then comes the court which holds an
active role in determining case facts, using a more inquisitional system and bringing up a sentence.
2.Найдите в тексте эквиваленты следующим cловосочетаниям на
Русском языке.
1) содержать доказательства
2) вынести приговор
3) досудебная стадия
4) заимствовать из
5) потерпеть неудачу
6) полностью соответствовать
7) иметь собственные подходы
3.Найдите в тексте словосочетания, соответствующие следующим
Определениям.
a) ___________________________is a legal system where two advo-cates represent their parties’ positions before an impartial person or group of people, usually a jury or judge, who attempt to determine the truth of the case. This system is generally adopted in common law countries. An excep-tion, for instance in the U.S., can be made for minor violations, such as traf c offen es.
b) __________________________ is a legal system, opposed to the previous one, which has a judge (or a group of judges who work together) whose task is to investigate the case and bring up a sentence. It is widely spread in Europe among some civil law systems (i.e. those deriving from
Roman law or the Napoleonic Code).
4. Выразите согласие/несогласие со следующими утверждениями, используя следующие формулы речевого общения.
– I really think that ...
– I’m sure that ...
– In my opinion …
– I disagree that …
– I consider it to be absolutely wrong …
– I can prove that it is …
– It can’t be true/false because …
1) Russia in the 18th century was greatly influenced by German legal system.
2) Soviet lawyers followed common way of creating the legal system.
3) Modern legal system of the RF is much closer to Continental law than to Anglo-American one.
4) Emphasis is made on codification in Russian law system.
5) The pretrial stage of investigation is not of great importance as the court one.
Ролевая игра. Прочитайте тексты о правовых системах Велико-британии и США. Составьте диалог, где вы берете интервью у специали-ста по правовой системе Великобритании или США.
TEXT 2
The United Kingdom. Common Law
Vocabulary
1. to contain something — содержать что-либо
2. to form something — образовывать что-либо
3. to relate to the political instability — быть связанным с политиче-ской нестабильностью
4. to retain distinctions — сохранить различия
5. to be binding — быть обязательным
6. to incorporate something — включать в себя что-то
7. to ensure certainty and consistency — обеспечить определенность
и устойчивость
8. to be flexible — быть гибким
9. to be derived from — происходить
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland contains three major legal systems which have been developed through ages. The three systems, each with their own legal rules, courts and legal professions, are based geographically. These are systems of England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
England and Wales.These two areas form one jurisdiction. The nationalcourts (High Court, Court of Appeal and House of Lords) are based in London, but there are local courts (Magistrates’ Courts and County Courts) throughout the country and the Crown Court has many locations.
Northern Ireland.It has some unusual features in its system, which iscentered in Belfast. Many relate to the political instability and violence which has taken place in the region since its establishment. One such feature is the absence of a jury in “terrorist” trials. But the legal system of Northern Ireland has otherwise grown very similar to that of England and Wales.
Scotland.It had its own system of laws and courts (based in Edinburgh)before its union with England and Wales in 1707. The Acts of Union of 1707 expressly allowed these to continue, and so Scotland retains many distinctions from the English system. It should be noted that the United Kingdom has incorporated the legal system of the European Union since 1972.
The legal systems within the United Kingdom were based largely on judge-made law since the 17th century. The law developed through decisions made by judges and was called “case law” or “common law” (common to
all courts of the country). Since that time, new laws and law reforms have increasingly been brought about through Acts of Parliament, usually inspired by policies of the Government.
Even so, the development of case law still remains an important source of law. A statement of law made by a judge in a case can become binding on later judges and can in this way become the law for everyone to follow.
Precedent has a very important role in the common law. It ensures certainty and consistency and logical progression and development in the law. Many countries (especially in Continental Europe) prefer a codified system in which laws are set out in legislation and cases which apply them may be illustrative but do not become binding. Nevertheless, the common law does have advantages over codified systems — it is more flexible, it is more practical as it is derived from real life dramas played out before the courts.
TEXT 3
The US Law
Vocabulary
1. island possessions — островные владения
2. to define the division between something — определить деление на
3. to claim independence — требовать независимость
4. to shift — сдвигать, перемещать
5. to retain substantial legal authority — сохранить существенные правовые полномочия
6. to outline the general structure — определить общую структуру
7. to lack something — здесь: быть в недостатке
It is a type of common law, which is the basis of the legal system of the United States and that of its island possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific. This legal system has several layers, more than in most other countries, and defined the division between federal and state law. The United States was founded not as one nation but as a union of 13 colonies, each claiming independence from the British Crown. The US Constitution, implemented in 1789, began shifting power away from the states and toward the federal government, though the states today retain substantial legal authority.
US law draws its authority from four sources: constitutional law, statutory law, administrative regulations, and case law.
Constitutional law is based on the US Constitution and serves as the supreme federal law. Taken together with those of the state constitutions, these documents outline the general structure of the federal and state governments and provide the rules and limits of power.
US statutory law is legislation enacted by the US Congress and is codified in the United States Code. The 50 state legislatures have similar authority to enact state statutes.
Administrative law is the authority delegated to federal and state executive agencies.
Case law, also referred to as common law, covers areas where constitutional or statutory law is lacking. Case law is a collection of judicial decisions, customs, and general principles that began in England centuries ago, that were adopted in America at the time of the Revolution, and that continue to develop today.
6.Сравните английскую, американскую и российскую правовые
Системы.
TEXT 4
The Comparative Law
Vocabulary
1. comparative law — сравнительное право
2. applicability of laws — применимость законов
3. world trade — мировая торговля
4. intergovernmental organization — межправительственная орга-низация
5. to simplify rules — упростить правила
Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.
1. Why do you think the comparative law is so necessary?
2. Do you agree that the law needs to be uniformed?
3. Сan you imagine the possibility of creating the unique world law sys-
tem?
This law is a newly made one and studies differences and similarities between different jurisdictions, including civil-law systems, common-law systems and religious (or theological) legal systems.
Comparative law has become of increasing practical importance for two reasons. First, the globalization of world trade means that commercial lawyers are often required to work with colleagues and clients from unfamiliar jurisdictions. The second reason is the increasing harmonization (or unification) of laws between previously separate jurisdictions, as with the European Union and the Union of South American Nations.
This kind of law is closely related to private international law and the harmonization of law. Private international law concerns the applicability
of laws in situations involving other jurisdictions. Harmonization of law developed out of a need to simplify these rules, both at a national level and between sovereign states.
One more aspect of comparative law is the idea of uniform law. There are two main sources of international uniform law: The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCC) and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT). The Hague Conference, a global intergovernmental organization with over 60 member states, is the leading organization in the area of private international law. An increasing number of non-member states are also becoming parties to the Hague conventions. The statutory mission of the HCC is to work for the progressive unification of private international law in a wide range of areas, from commercial law to international civil procedure and from child protection to matters of marriage and personal status.