Introduction to English Law

Syllabus

The course consists of 4 classes each of 2 hours  

Class 1

·         English legal system: history, structure, courts, legal professions 

·         Common law v. statute law

·         Law and equity

·         Contrasting role of judiciary

Judge-made law plays an important role in English law. The first class will provide students with a contextual understanding of how English law has developed and how it is administered today.

The class will also provide a brief introduction to criminal law and to constitutional law (the United Kingdom is most unusual in having no written constitution).

Class 2

·         Contract

·         Tort 

·         Companies

·         Trusts

The class will provide an introduction to the all-important main topics of English civil and commercial law.  

Classes 3 and 4  

·         Jurisdiction

·         Foreign judgments

·         Interim measures: freezing orders; anti-suit injunctions

·         Applicable law  

The third and fourth classes will be devoted to English private international law following Brexit (civil and commercial). 

Until Brexit, England had two parallel systems governing jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments, the Brussels-Lugano regime and a quite separate collection of rules for cases to which that regime did not apply. Now (nearly) all of the Brussels/Lugano rules have been repealed and the English rules have taken on a new and wider significance.

English law also contains two procedural instruments of particular significance in an international context, and the course will provide an introduction to these. On one hand, there are ‘anti-suit injunctions’ which were banned by the Brussels/Lugano regime, but which are once again available in respect of proceedings in other European countries; on the other hand, there are so-called ‘freezing orders’ which may can have a powerful effect in preserving assets in cross-border litigation.

The rules governing applicable law for contractual and non-contractual obligations, however, continue to be governed by the Rome I and Rome II Regulations – which will not form part of this course – but the course will cover the main areas of English choice of law rules falling outside those Regulations.

Annotation

Introduction to English Law je nový volitelný předmět, který je vyučován v anglickém jazyce. Je koncipován jako blokový s výukou ve dnech 24.-27.10.2022. Kurz si klade za cíl seznámit posluchače v obecné rovině s anglickým právním systémem a dále podrobněji vyložit problematiku řešení mezinárodních sporů ve věcech občanských a obchodních z anglické perspektivy a v post-brexitovém kontextu. Studentům se v rámci tohoto předmětu nabízí nejen možnost prohloubit svou znalost odborné angličtiny, ale zároveň se seznámit se strukturou anglického právního systému a základy anglického mezinárodního práva soukromého.

Předmět je velmi vhodnou přípravou na zahraniční studijní pobyt s programem Erasmus+ na některé z anglickojazyčných univerzit. Kurz bude rovněž velkým přínosem pro studenty, kteří by se po studiu rádi pohybovali v mezinárodním právním prostředí.

The aim of the course is to give the students an outline understanding of English law and of the ways in which it differs in its methodology and reasoning from the civil law systems of continental Europe. There will be a special emphasis on English private international law

English law and English courts are widely chosen by commercial parties across the world and any student hoping to have some practice with a cross-border element will benefit from this course.

It will be taught by Alexander Layton, who is a senior English barrister (‘King’s Counsel’) with long experience of cross-border disputes being litigated in English courts. He is also a Visiting Professor at King’s College London.

Students will be encouraged to ask questions during the classes and, if time permits, there will be an opportunity at the end of Class 4 for any remaining questions arising from the course.