About the Lawcards Series
English Legal System Lawcards
Chapter 1: Sources of law
- Primary legislation: Acts of Parliament
- Secondary legislation
- Case law
- System of precedent
- Common law
- Equity
- EU law
- uman Rights Act 1998
Chapter 2: The legal profession
- The role of barristers
- The role of solicitors
- Legal executives
- Routes to qualification as a legal professional
- The changing legal profession
- The Legal Services Ombudsman
- Legal Services Bill
Chapter 3: The judiciary and judicial decision-making
- Independence of the judiciary
- Judicial offices
- Judicial reasoning: case law and precedent
- Hierarchy of English courts
- Statutory interpretation
Chapter 4: The criminal courts and court procedure
- Criminal appeals structure
- Classification of offences
- Criminal courts
- PACE and the Codes of Practice including:
- Stop and Search
- Detention
- Arrest
- Procedure relating to terrorist suspects
- Bail
Chapter 5: The civil process
- Public law v private law
- Civil law v criminal law
- The Civil courts
- The Woolf reforms
- Small claims, fast track and multi-track
- Criticism and evaluation of civil reforms
Chapter 6: Tribunals, inquiries and alternative dispute resolution
- Function of tribunals
- Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007
- Advantages and disadvantages of tribunals
- Courts with special jurisdiction
- Inquiries
- Alternative dispute resolution:
- Arbitration
- Mediation
- Conciliation
Chapter 7: The jury system
- Arguments for and against the jury system
- The role of the jury
- Reform of the jury system
Chapter 8: Access to justice
- History of legal aid
- System of legal aid
- Criminal Defence Service
- Public Defender Service
- Other sources of legal advice:
- Community Legal Advice Centres and Networks