Law and the Legal System: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Law and the Legal System

• Tort Law: Deals with injuries to others.
• Contract Law: Covers everyday business operations, including purchases, employment, and risk management.
• Land Law: Involves buying, leasing, or financing land and buildings.
• Rights vs. Privileges: Rights are backed by the state, while privileges are actions that can be limited or withdrawn.
• Law: A set of obligatory rules with potential sanctions for violations.
• Common Law: Law derived from court judgments.
• Stare Decisis: Following precedents set in similar cases.
• Canon Law: Church law.
• Law Merchant: Merchant customs resolving disputes, later adopted by Common Law.
• Equity: Rules based on fairness, stemming from royal decisions.
• Statute Law: Laws passed by a legislative body.
• Bill: A proposed law.
• Motion: Decision to introduce a bill for the first time.
• Royal Assent: Sovereign's approval for a bill to become law.
• Proclamation: When a law becomes effective.
• Revised Statutes: Updated or amended statutes.
• Aboriginal Law: Canadian law related to Indigenous people and their relationship with the Crown.
• Indigenous Law: Legal traditions, customs, and practices of Indigenous peoples.
• Civil Code: Written laws outlining citizens' private rights.
• Administrative Law: Rules governing how statutes apply to administrative tribunals or boards.
• Regulations (Procedural): Rules made under a statute.
• Administrative Tribunals: Agencies regulating activities or performing specific actions.
• Constitution: Foundation of a state's government and powers.
• Substantive Law: Laws defining rights and duties.
• Procedural Law: Procedures individuals must follow to enforce substantive laws.
• Substantive Right: Legally enforceable individual right.
• Public Law: Deals with relationships between individuals and the government.
• Private Law: Deals with relationships between individuals.

Chapter 2: The Judicial System and Alternative Dispute Resolution

• Jurisdiction: A court's authority to hear a case.
• Trial Court: Initial court for a legal action.
• Courts of Appeal: Review decisions of trial courts.
• Assizes: Court sessions in different locations.
• Actus Reus: The criminal act itself.
• Mens Rea: Criminal intent.
• Judgment: A court's decision.
• Pleadings: Written statements outlining facts and claims.
• Examination for Discovery: Pre-trial examination, oral or written.
• Affidavit: Sworn written statement.
• Contingency Fee: Lawyer's fee contingent on success.
• Class Action: A single person represents a group in a lawsuit.
• Ad Hoc Tribunal: Temporary tribunal for specific disputes.
• Arbitration: Binding dispute resolution with an impartial third party.
• Attorney/Solicitor/Barrister: Different types of lawyers with specialized roles.

Chapter 3: Business Regulation

• Administrative Tribunals: Agencies created by legislation for specific tasks.
• Judicial Review: Courts examining decisions of administrative tribunals.
• Natural Justice: Procedural fairness in decision-making.

Chapter 4: Intentional Torts

• Assault: Threat of violence.
• Battery: Unlawful touching.
• Employer Vicarious Liability: Employer's liability for employee actions.
• Forcible Confinement: Confinement against a person's will.
• Defamation: False statements harming reputation.
• Libel: Defamation in permanent form.
• Slander: Defamatory spoken statements.
• Trespass: Unauthorized entry onto land or damage to property.
• Conversion: Refusal to return a possessed item to its owner.
• Slander of Goods/Injurious Falsehood: False statements damaging a business's reputation.
• Slander of Title: False statements about ownership.
• Restraint of Trade: Agreements harming competition.
• Deceit: Damage caused by false representation with intent to deceive.
• Fraudulent Conversion: Obtaining goods under false pretenses.
• Unfair Business Practices: Exploiting consumer inexperience.

Chapter 5: Negligence and Unintentional Torts

• Duty of Care: Not to injure others.
• Reasonable Person: Standard for negligence.
• Causation/Proximate Cause: Direct link between action and injury.
• Strict Liability: Responsibility regardless of circumstances.
• Vicariously Liable: Liability for another's actions.
• Res Ipsa Loquitur: "The thing speaks for itself." (circumstantial evidence)
• Nuisance: Interference with property enjoyment.
• Injunction: Court order to refrain from an action.
• Volenti Non Fit Injuria: "Voluntary assumption of risk."
• Act of God: Natural disaster.
• Waiver: Giving up a right or claim.
• Release: Agreement not to sue.
• Doctrine of Laches: Delaying action unjustifiably.
• Punitive/Exemplary Damages: Damages to deter future actions.
• Contempt of Court: Disregarding a court order.
• Order of Replevin: Retrieving goods taken illegally.

Explore the fundamentals of law and the legal system. This includes tort law, contract law, land law, and the distinctions between rights and privileges. Learn about common law, stare decisis, canon law, law merchant, equity, and statute law.