Кафедра иностранных языков и речевых коммуникаций

Рецензенты:

Черкасс И.А., канд. филологических наук, Есенская Т.B., канд. педагогических наук.

Митусова О.А., Беляева И.В.

English for future lawyers: Учебное пособие

Ростов н/Д.: Изд-во СКАГС, 2007. – 108 с.

Пособие включает тексты и упражнения, которые могут быть использованы для обучения в аудитории и в процессе самостоятельной работы студентов очного и заочного отделений. Содержит актуальный материал, хорошо адаптированный к учебному процессу в вузе. Пособие ориентировано на будущую профессиональную деятельность студентов юридических факультетов. В его основе лежит коммуникативно-функциональный подход к языку. Содержание пособия соответствует образовательным стандартам по английскому языку.

Печатается по решению кафедры.

Протокол №7 от 20.02.07

CONTENT

Part 1 Text 1 What is law? ……………………………………………4

Text 2 What is crime? ………………………………………….5

Part 2 Branches of law ……………………………………………….7

Part 3 Text 1 Systems of law ………………………………………..10

Text 2 How laws are changed……………………………….12

Part 4 Development of law ……………………………………...13

Part 5 Constitutional law ……………………………………………19

Part 6 Administrative law…………………………………………….23

Part 7 Text 1 Criminal law…………………………………………..25

Text 2 Police bulletin………………………………………….28

Text 3 Have you seen this man?..........................................32

Part 8 Text 1 International law……………………………………. 33

Text 2 Human rights…………………………………………35

Text 3 International organization or Interpol…………….43

Part 9 Tax law…………………………………………………………43

Part 10 Text 1 Procedural law ………………………………..45

Text 2 Professional titles…………………………………...47

Part 11 Law of contracts……………………………………………..50

Part 12 Text 1 Tort law……………………………………………….52

Text 2 Capital punishment………………………………….53

Part 13 Text 1 Property law………………………………………….55

Text 2 Trademark law……………………………………….56

Part 14 Labour law…………………………………………………...58

Part 15 Family law……………………………………………………60

Credit test one…………………………………………………...67

Credit test two…………………………………………………...70

Credit test three………………………………………………….73

Credit test foure……………………………………………….. .75

Read for pleasure………………………………………………..78

Vocabulary……………………………………………………...84

PART 1

Text 1

What is law?

Law is the set of enforced rules under which a society is governed. Law is one of the most basic social insti­tutions—and one of the njost necessary. No society could exist if all people did just as they pleased, without regard for the rights of others. Nor could a society exist if its members did not recognize that they also have cer­tain obligations toward one another. The law thus estab­lishes the rules that define a person's rights and obliga­tions. The law also sets penalties for people who violate these rules, and it states how government shall enforce the rules and penalties. However, the laws enforced by government can be changed. In fact laws frequently are changed to reflect changes in a society's needs and atti­tudes.

In most societies, various government bodies, espe­cially police agencies and courts, see that the laws are obeyed. Because a person can be penalized for disobey­ing the law, most people agree that laws should be just. Justice is a moral standard that applies to all human con­duct. The laws enforced by government have usually had a strong moral element, and so justice has generally been one of the law's guiding principles. But govern­ments can, and sometimes do, enforce laws that many people believe to be unjust. If this belief becomes wide­spread, people may lose respect for the law and may even disobey it. But in democratic societies, the law it­self provides ways to amend or abolish unjust laws.

Exc.1 Give your own definition of law in English.

Exc.2 Read and memorize the active vocabulary:

LAW - право, закон

lawful, a - законный

lawfully, adv. - на законном основании

lawfulness, n - законность, правомерность

lawless, a - противоправный, незаконный

lawyer, n - юрист, адвокат

unlawful, a - незаконный

lawsuit, n -судебный иск, тяжба

legal- законный, юридический

illegal, a - незаконный

legality, n - законность

legalization, n - придание законной силы

legalize, v - узаконивать

legalized, a - узаконенный

legally, adv. - по закону, юридически

legislate,v - издавать законы

legislation, n - законодательство

legislative, a - законодательный

legislatively, adv. - в законодательном порядке

legislator, n - законодатель

legislature, n - законодательная власть

legitimate,a - законный

legitimately, adv. - законно

legitimateness, n - законность

legitimation, n - узаконивание

legitimization, n- узаконивайте

legitimize, v - узаконивать

legitimacy, n - законность

Text 2

WHAT IS A CRIME?

Crime is a part of public law - the law regulating the relations between citizens and the state. Crimes are acts which the state considers to be wrong and which can be punished by the state. There are some acts which are crimes in one country but not in another. For example, it is a crime to drink alcohol in Saudi Arabia, but not in Egypt. It is a crime to smoke marijuana in England, but not (in prescribed places) in the Netherlands. It is a crime to have more than one wife at the same time in France, but not in Indone­sia. In general, however, there is quite a lot of agreement among states as to which acts are criminal. A visitor to a foreign country can be sure that steal­ing, physically attacking someone or damaging their property will be unlawful. But the way of dealing with people suspected of crime may be different from his own country.

In many legal systems it is an important principle that a person cannot be considered guilty of a crime until the state proves he committed it. The suspect himself need not prove anything, although he will of course help himself if he can show evidence of his innocence. The state must prove his guilt according to high standards and there are elements that must be proved. In codified systems, these elements are usually recorded in statutes. In common law systems, the elements of some crimes are detailed in statutes; others, known as "common law crimes", are still described mostly in case law.

There are usually two importasnt elements to a crime: (1) the criminal act itself; and (2) the criminal state of mind of the person when he committed the act. In Anglo-American law these are known by the Latin terms of (1) Actus Reus and (2) Mens Rea.

The subject of a crime is a person who commits the crime and is responsible for it. Only persons who have attained a certain age and are compos mentis can be the subject of a crime. Persons who have reached the age of 16 before the commission of a crime are criminally responsible; for some crimes (murder, deliberate infliction of bodily injury impairing health, brigandage, stealing, robbery, hooliganism with evil intent, etc.) the age is 14 years.

Actually, the age limit for some crimes ( committed by persons in office in their official capacity, military crimes, etc. ) is considerably higher.

A person who, at the time of the commission of a socially dangerous act, is non-compos mentis, i. e. is unable to account for his actions or to govern them in consequence of chronic mental desease, temporary mental derangement, weak-mindedness or some other morbid state, is not criminally responsible. Compulsory medical treatment as established by the criminal legislation of the state (placing in a general or special mental hospital) may be applied to such a person by a court order.

A person who, at the time of the commission of a crime, is compos mentis but, before a sentence is passed by the court, is affected by mental derangement, is not liable to punishment. By an order of the court compulsory medical treatment may be applied to such a person and on recovery from his illness he may be liable to punishment. A person committing a crime while in a state of drunkenness is not relieved of criminal responsibility.