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Introduction to the legal system
1) Acts of Parliament An Act of Parliament is sometimes called a Statue and is the most common form of introducing new laws in this country. These laws are debated and approved in the Houses of Parliament (first in the House of Commons and then in the House of Lords) and are then given Royal assent by the Queen. The courts are bound to apply these laws. 2) Case Law This is also referred to as the 'Common Law' and is the law that is made by the judges. A statement of law made by judges can be binding on the decisions of future cases and is called a legal 'precedent'. This helps to provide consistency by treating like cases alike. top 3) European Law European law has been incorporated in the UK system since 1972 when we joined the then European Community. The effect of this is that under section 2 of the European Communities Act 1972, European Law must be considered to be a binding source of UK law, and where there are inconsistencies the European law shall prevail. There are 2 main types of UK Law; 1) Criminal Committing a criminal offence is seen as an offence against the public and as such prosecutions are brought in the name of the Head of State. As criminal prosecutions can result in imprisonment, and loss of liberty is a serious punishment, the rules for convicting a person are strict. It must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt that they are guilty. 2) Civil
A civil action is brought by a plaintiff and covers
such things as breach of contract, personal injury, family law and
copyright law. The purpose of civil law is not to punish the wrong
doer, as with criminal law, but to compensate the person that has
suffered as a result of the offending action. Thus the rules for
finding in favor of the plaintiff are less strict, and here the
requirement is that they are guilty on the balance of probabilities. top A) Legal personnel 1) Solicitors A solicitor acts as the agent of the person whose case he represents and serves as an intermediary between the barrister and his client, negotiating fees and preparing the case for trial. Solicitors may take the place of barristers in the lower courts, and in the 1990s gained new rights of audience in higher courts. Solicitors will also deal with work legal matters such as conveyancing, wills, family law, company law and can give advice on legal aid. 2) Barristers A barrister will present the case in court having been briefed by the solicitor. B) Alternatives to Court If you are unhappy with a public body or other service you have used, there is an alternative method of seeking redress than taking the issue to court - by approaching an Ombudsman. top An Ombudsman is responsible for monitoring a particular service or industry, the National Health Service for example. They have the power to investigate and deal with complaints from the public and provide this service free of charge. An essential feature of the Ombudsmen service is that they are independent of the organization that they are monitoring. The Ombudsman service must also fair, effective and accountable and these requirements are necessary for the Ombudsman to be recognized by the Ombudsman Association. The Ombudsman will generally only investigate matters that have arisen within a reasonable period of time. The Ombudsman will become involved in a dispute once the internal complaints procedures of the service in question have been exhausted. They will generally not be able to help if the complaint is simply a disagreement with a decision that the department or service has made - there must be evidence that the decision was taken wrongly - for example, was unfair, negligent, inconsistent or made on the basis of incorrect information. The primary aim is to provide redress, in the form of an apology or even in certain circumstances financial compensation, where an individual has suffered an injustice. Where the Ombudsman finds that the complainant is in the right they can recommend to the body concerned the redress they should offer and what action they should take to ensure that the situation does not reoccur in the future. These recommendations will generally be adopted by the service. top C) Small Claims Court This is a court that deals specifically with claims under £5,000, unless it is a claim for personal injury or certain tenancy problems where the claim must be under £1,000. A claim can be brought to small claims court for almost anything where the amount you are claiming is under the limit. You do not have to have a solicitor when taking a case to small claims court, or when defending against a claim. You can appoint someone else to represent you such as a friend or relative. As the purpose of the small claims court is to simplify the process in simple cases, you will not be able to claim any costs if you do decide to use a solicitor even if you win. Small Claims Courts can be found as a section at your local County Court. You can apply to them for a claim form in which you fill in the details of the claim that you are making and you will have to pay a court fee. The person that you are claiming against, known as the defendant, will file a defense against the claim and you will then receive instructions from the court as to what will happen next. top If you are successful the defendant will be instructed to pay you a fixed sum, and this judgement is enforceable at law. It may be that you do not wish your case to be heard in the small claims court, if for example you are seeking more than the limited amount. You can request that the case be dealt with by a higher court by showing for example that the case involves a complex question of law or fact, or that there is a possibility of fraud. Your solicitor will be able to advise you as to your chances of success. D) How to chose a Solicitor It is important when selecting a Solicitor to bear in mind the service that they are going to provide for you, a solicitor that you have used with success to conduct your conveyancing may not be the best person to conduct a personal injury claim. Instructing a Solicitor to act on your behalf provides you with financial security and peace of mind and it is important therefore to choose someone with the correct experience. There are several things that you can look for in selecting the right solicitor for you. Firstly it is important to consider reputation. A firm of solicitor's may have a good reputation for conducting a certain type of legal work. It is important to ensure that your objectives are going to be met by the solicitor that you choose. Experience is vital in most legal work, especially if the legal issue is going to lead to litigation. top An experienced solicitor will be familiar with all the applicable laws and features of that vein of the law. Experience means that you can expect your solicitor to be well prepared to deal with any unforeseen problems that arise. To ascertain the level of experience that a solicitor has you can look at how long they have been practising, if they are a member of a specialist board, such as the Personal Injury Board, if they have had experience of court room cases, and how many cases similar to yours they have dealt with. By talking to a solicitor before instructing them in your case you will be able to gauge if you think they are right for you. If you feel that the solicitor was abrupt or made you feel uncomfortable then they are not right for you. It is also important to remember that if your solicitor appears to be tenacious and efficient to you then this is the appearance that they will give to others. Asking the solicitor questions about your case will help you to gauge how apt their analytical skills are - if they seem to have all bases covered then they are likely to be well prepared for most eventualities. top In certain types of case you may have to spend a lot of time with your solicitor, in family law cases for example - divorce and custody, you will be reliant upon them to serve your needs at a time when you are vulnerable. Thus it is important to ensure that your solicitor listens to you and appreciates your needs. Another important factor in choosing a solicitor is to look at the professionalism and efficiency of the support staff, it is likely that there will be times when your solicitor is unavailable and it may be important to be able to rely upon the professionalism of their secretary or on being able to talk to another partner or solicitor. A final but very important factor to consider when choosing your solicitor is how expensive the service is going to be. Your solicitor will be able to give you a fee breakdown and will often have a set charge for things such as conveyancing. Solicitors generally charge on the basis of the amount of time they spend on your case. This will be broken down into an hourly rate plus additional charges. It may be that in straight forward cases certain tasks may be delegated to junior solicitors whose hourly rate is likely to be lower. top In certain cases, such as divorce and personal injury claims it is worth bearing in mind the end result of the case. If your solicitor that has more experience is more expensive it may be that they can save you money in a divorce settlement, or get you greater damages in a personal injury case. The peace of mind factor in using a solicitor is an important one, a good solicitor will leave you reassured that the case is in hand and is being dealt with efficiency, taking the time to chose a good solicitor will save you stress in the future. E)Legal Aid What is Legal Aid? Legal Aid is a system of providing free or low cost legal advice and assistance based on eligibility. It can be used in both civil and criminal cases in such legal matters as divorce, employment and tenancy disputes for example. There are several ways of finding out more about Legal Aid, you can contact the Citizen's advice bureau, contact a solicitor or contact the Legal Aid Board. top Will I be eligible? Eligibility will depend on if you can pay for your case, i.e. your financial situation and on the merit of your case - if you have a good case that you are likely to win, on the merit of the case in question. A solicitor will be able to advise you as to whether you have a valid case and will be able to direct you as to what type of legal aid you are likely to get. There are specific limits for the obtaining of legal aid and you may be entitled to free or reduced cost aid based on your financial situation. You may also be entitled to assistance to seek mediation services where you are in the process of separation or divorce. When seeking legal aid it is helpful to write down all the information relevant to your case, along with any questions or concerns you may have. These can then be discussed with your solicitor and the Legal Aid Board. If you are on income support you will automatically qualify for Legal Aid and should present details about the benefits you receive. You will be able to seek information about exactly what you are entitled to and what, if any, additional charges you may be required to pay. If you are questioned by the police you are entitled to free legal advice irrespective of your financial situation and will be assigned a duty solicitor. You may also be entitled to free legal advice on your first appearance at a Magistrates Court, again irrespective of your financial situation. top
Copyright 2000 everythingexplained.com |
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