Legal Method

PART ONE: AN INTRODUCTION TO LAW AND LEGAL REASONING - The Classifications of English Law - The Jurisdictions of the Principal English Courts - The Constitutional Context of Legal Method - The Legal Structure of the European Community - The Enforceability of European Community Law in the United Kingdom - European Community Law and National Sovereignty - The Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms - Finding, Citing and Using the Sources of Law - PART TWO: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DOCTRINE OF BINDING PRECEDENT - Ratio Decidendi and Obitier Dictum - Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of Precedent - Does the House of Lords Bind Itself? - Does the Court of Appeal Bind Itself? - Does the High Court Bind Itself? - Precedent as a Vehicle for Law Reform - Precedent and Principle in the European Court of Justice - PART THREE: STATUTE LAW AND STATUTORY INTERPRETATION - An Introduction to Statute Law and Statutory Interpretation - Legislative Drafting - Plain Meanings, Mischief and Purposes - The Idea of Legislative Intention - Modern Interpretation in Practice - Legislative Interpretation in the European Court of Justice