Legal Method

Part 1 Ideas and institutions: 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; finding, citing and using the sources of law. Part 2 Case law and precedent: an introduction to the doctrine of binding precedent; ratio decidendi and obiter 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 in the European Court of Justice. Part 3 Statute law and statutory interpretation: an introduction to statute law and statutory interpretation; legislative drafting; plain meanings, mischiefs and purpose; the idea of legislative intention; modern interpretation in practice; some studies of stationery drafting and interpretations; the principles of interpretation used by the European Court of Justice. Appendices: Law reports and journals; the Interpretation Act 1978; the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.