An Introduction to the Law and its

Sources

Susan Carter

Pepper Finance Corporation v Williams

Common sense vs legal sense Common knowledge or technical

knowledge Essence of common law Technical vocabulary

Specialised legal terms

Words with specific legal meanings and little if any use in everyday speech - ‘pure’ law terms

Examples: Chose in action Chose in possession Fee simple Estoppel Codicil

General terms given special legal meaning in particular contexts

Words that are not ‘pure law’ terms but acquire special legal definition in particular contexts through the provisions of a statute the process of judicial interpretation

Example:Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) the meaning of the word ‘goods’ is defined in

section 2 of Schedule 2; ‘consumer’ is defined in section 3 of Schedule 2

Legal terms also found in everyday speech

Words with related legal and general meaning

Examples: land negligence nuisance assault offer agent

Legal terms also found in everyday speech

Words with different legal and general meaning - legal meaning is entirely different from usual English

Examples: consideration equity summary (as in ‘a summary offence’) execute (as in ‘to execute a document’) title (as in ‘title to goods’)

And not just English....

Latin Meaning

ratio decidendi /ratio

the essential reasoning for the decision of a case; the binding precedent established by the case

obiter dictum / dicta

an observation by a judge that is not essential to the reasoning for the decision (distinguished from the ratio)

per curium ‘by the Court’ ( a proposition made by the judge)

coram ‘in the presence of’

cur adv vult curia advisi vult = the court wishes to consider the matter

ultra vires beyond/in excess of legal power

in limine ‘on the threshold’/preliminary (used to describe an objection or pleading)

semble ‘it appears’

Latin maxims

Latin Meaning

Volenti non fit injuria

there can be no injury to the willing

Caveat emptor let the buyer beware

Actus no facit reum nisi mens sit rea

an act does not make a person guilty unless the mind is guilty

Cuis est solum eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos

‘land’ is the surface and everything under it to the centre of the earth and everything above it to the heavens

Legal sense v ‘Common sense’

Pepper Finance Corporation v Williams [2008] NSWSC 4

Law v Politics “Judges are bound by legal texts and

their own prior precedents to a degree that political actors are not. And crucially, judges have an obligation to explain their results as the product of legal judgement.”

Michael C. Dorf

To remember: Law is both a body of knowledge and a

way of thinking about that knowledge: it is important to master both.

You are expected to know not just what the law is, but why. Anytime you think about the answer to a legal question – ask yourself, why do I know that this is the answer? What is my legal source or authority?

You may disagree with some or indeed all of the substantive law which you are studying. But you cannot change it simply by disagreeing with it. If you want to change the law – that is turn your policy into law – you need to understand the law and its processes first.

Law v Policy

“Courts and judges are not meant to have agendas, and judges are not meant to seek popularity. They are expected to administer justice according to law, regardless of the consequences for their approval ratings. A judicial decision that pleases one side or the other of a partisan conflict will always attract applause or blame from some of the partisans, but people expect judges to attend to the task of administering justice and to leave politics to politicians.”

Gleeson CJ

Law v Politics

“Behind the legal issues that the Court must decide there often are intensely political concerns. Yet the Court is expected to resolve those issues according to law, and adhering to legal methodology. We expect judges to decide issues after hearing argument in specific cases.”

Gleeson CJ

Legal approach v personal opinion

“In Australia, one of the responsibilities of the High Court is to decide the constitutional validity of federal or State legislation. The public would be outraged if the Justices advanced, as a reason for holding legislation to be valid or invalid, their approval or disapproval of the policy of the legislation.”

Gleeson CJ

Latham CJ, First Uniform Tax case "[T]he controversy before the Court is a legal controversy, not a political controversy. It is not for this or any court to prescribe policy or to seek to give effect to any views or opinions upon policy. We have nothing to do with the wisdom or expediency of legislation. Such questions are for Parliaments and the people ... The Court must consider and deal with ... [the] legal contention. But the Court is not authorized to consider whether the Acts are fair and just as between States - whether some States are being forced, by a political combination against them, to pay an undue share of Commonwealth expenditure or to provide money which other States ought fairly to provide. These are arguments to be used in Parliament and before the people. They raisequestions of policy which it is not for the Court to determine or even to consider."

Statute Law and Case Law

Sources of law

• Statute –laws made by Parliament

• Case law – laws made by judges

Statutes v Case law

Statutes operate from the general to the particular, whereas cases operate from the particular to the general.

CITATION OF STATUTES

• Statutes are always cited:Title/Year/(Jurisdiction)

• Australian Sports Drug Agency Act 1990 (Cth)

• Exotic Diseases of Animals Act 1993 (WA) s6

• Methodist Church of Samoa in Australia Property Trust Act 1998 (NSW) s4(2)(d)

STRUCTURE OF AN ACT• NUMBER• DATE• LONG TITLE• SHORT TITLE• PREAMBLE (OR PURPOSE CLAUSES

INSTEAD OF A PREAMBLE)• Preamble always starts with

“Whereas”• TABLE OF CONTENTS• PARTS OR CHAPTERS, DIVISIONS AND

HEADINGS

SYDNEY TURF CLUB ACT 1943 As at 13 November 2007 Act 22 of 1943 TABLE OF PROVISIONS Long Title An Act to constitute and incorporate a Sydney Turf

Club and to declare its objects, functions and powers; to provide for the acquisition by that club of certain racecourses and the equipment thereof; to provide for the discontinuance of the licences of certain racecourses; to provide for the establishment of a Racing Compensation Fund in the Treasury; to amend the Gaming and Betting Act 1912 and certain other Acts; and for purposes connected therewith.

PART 1 - PRELIMINARY 1 Name of Act and commencement (1) This Act may be cited as the Sydney Turf Club Act 1943 . (2) This Act shall commence on a day to be appointed by the Governor and notified by proclamation published in the Gazette.

2. (Repealed) 3. Definitions3A. Notes PART 2 - SYDNEY TURF CLUB

Division 1 - Incorporation and constitution

4. Constitution etc 5. Application of income etc 6. First members, directors and

auditors

Division 2 - Objects, functions and powers

7. Objects and functions of Club8. Acting secretary Division 3 - Financial9. Temporary accommodation 10. Power to borrow 11. Insurance, and payments out of

fundsDivision 4 - (Repealed) None PART 3 - RACING COMPENSATION

FUND 15-18. (Repealed)

PART 4 - GENERAL 19. Members defaulting in payment of bets not eligible to continue as members 20. Rights of member personal 21. By-laws 22. Commencement of by-laws 23. Public notification of by-laws 24. Offences etc 25. Exclusion of undesirable persons 26. Directors may fix tolls and charges27. Power to let lands, buildings or tolls 28. Inspection

29. Club to repair etc 30. Indemnity 31. (Repealed) 32. Regulations SCHEDULE 1 Schedule 2 (Repealed) SCHEDULE 3

Three good sites for finding legislation:

http://www.comlaw.gov.au http://www.austlii.edu.au

www.legislation.nsw.gov.au

The Section is the most important part of an Act

Sections are sub-divided into:SECTION s1SUB-SECTION (2)PARAGRAPH (a)SUB-PARAGRAPH (v)

Australian Consumer Law- s18

Misleading or deceptive conduct             

(1)  A person shall not, in trade or commerce, engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive.

Elements of s18(1)

• Person• Trade or commerce• Engage in conduct• Misleading or deceptive

Case law

Decision: relevant only to the parties

Ratio decidendi : reason for decision : this answers the

legal question for decision

: creates the binding law

CASE CITATION

Plaintiff’s Name v Defendant’s Name (Civil case)

ORR v Person charged with

offence/Defendant or Accused(Criminal case)

THEN

• YEAR in which the case was decided (in square or round brackets depending on the reporting system used)

• VOLUME in which the case has been reported

• ABBREVIATION of the particular report

• PAGE NUMBER at which the report begins, and

• PAGE NUMBER from which you are quoting (and name of judge)

Examples:

• Behrens v Bertram Mills Circus Ltd [1957] 2QB 1

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation v Lenah Game Meats Pty Ltd (2002) 208 CLR 199

• R v Brown [1994] 1 AC 212