Part Two Required Readings
Part Three Optional Readings
內容試閱:
前言
法律英语是法律科学与英语语言学有机结合形成的一门实践性很强的交叉学科,是ESP(English for Specific Purpose)*重要的分支之一。法律英语是以普通英语为基础,在立法和司法等活动中形成和使用的具有法律专业特点的语言,是指表述法律科学概念以及诉讼或非诉讼法律事务时所使用的英语。当今世界的发展日新月异,经济全球化进程突飞猛进,国际交流合作日益加强,涉外法务活动空前频繁。十八届四中全会提出要加强涉外法律工作,运用法律手段维护国家的发展利益。经济全球化过程中我们所面临的很多问题其实都是法律问题,而这些法律问题中的绝大多数又都属于涉外法律的工作范畴,所有这些工作都需要法律工作者通过专业外语完成。国家急需明晰国际法律规则、通晓英语语言的精英明法复合型人才,法律英语的重要性日益彰显,掌握专业外语已经成为法律人必备的职业素质。法律英语证书(LEC)全国统一考试的成功推出和中央政法委、教育部卓越法律人才计划的顺利启动无疑把法律英语的学习和研究推向了高潮。
法律英语是高校英语、法学等专业教学改革的新方向。随着高校英语专业教学改革不断深化,国内许多高校在外语院(系)开设了法律英语课程,有的院系设置了法律英语方向,有些高校大胆创新,开始尝试设置法律英语专业, 收到了良好的社会效果。2013年高等教育出版社出版发行《法律英语专业教学大纲》,标志着法律英语专业的诞生,给高校外语院系设置法律英语专业指明了方向。本套教材正是以该大纲为重要依据编写而成。
美国法是英美法系的典型代表,其法律体系完整、内容丰富,既有传统的普通法,又有新兴的成文法;既有统一的联邦法,又有各州的法律。同时,美国法在世界范围内影响深远,学习研究美国法意义重大,这不仅表现为许多国家都在研究美国的法律规则,借鉴其成熟做法,还表现为许多国际公约也参照美国法的理念、原则、规则制定。因此,本书作为法律英语专业的精读教材,主要介绍美国法,希望学生通过学习权威、实用的美国法律知识,掌握地道、纯正的法律英语。一般的语言教材都会系统的讲授语法知识,但本书的编写设想学生已经完成了基础阶段的普通英语学习,系统掌握了英语语法等基础知识并领会式认知约6000个英语单词。
本套教材共包括《法律英语精读教程》、《法律英语泛读教程》、《法律英语写作教程》和《法律英语翻译教程》以及配套学习使用的《英美法律术语双解》。
编写本书的过程中,编者参考了大量的美国原版法学书籍,包括美国法学院教材及大量判例,力求实现教材内容的权威性和丰富性。本书引用了许多极具代表性的英文案例。英美法系是判例法系,无论是法官还是律师都特别注重对判例的研究,因此学习美国法不能绕过案例,通过研究案例更有利于掌握标准的法律英语,也更容易掌握美国法的精髓。本书选取了几十个经典案例,以期**程度的展现美国法原貌。
本书力求内容丰富,可读性强,几乎涉及到了法律英语的听说读写译的各个方面。本书在每部分或各章后面都附有相关的练习题,以期帮助学生检查自己学习掌握基础美国法知识和英美法律文化知识以及法律英语读写基本能力的掌握程度。教材在编写上遵循由总述到具体、由浅入深的原则,基本上达到《法律英语专业教学大纲》提出的目标要求。
本书共有三部分组成。**部分是英美法律文化知识简介。语言是文化的载体,法律文化知识是法律英语学习过程中不可或缺的内容;第二部分分别对美国六个主干部门法(美国宪法、合同法、侵权法、财产法、证据法、刑法\刑事诉讼法)基本内容进行概括介绍并选取典型案例诠释有关知识点。第三部分是自选学习内容,这是为了贯彻《法律英语专业教学大纲》6 1学习内容的指导思想而编写的,包括美国的民事诉讼法、知识产权法、美国商法和中国法律制度的基本介绍,学生可根据自己的实际需要自由选择使用。这三部分内容浑然一体,又相互独立。学习本教材不一定要严格按前后编写顺序进行,教师完全可以根据学生的具体情况挑选合适的内容安排教学。本册教材内容可供学生一学年使用,也可供学生三个学期使用。
编写本书过程中,我们参考了大量国内外有关资料,在此谨对原作者表示谢忱。参加本书编写工作的还有北京外国语大学郑小军教授、中国石油大学徐文斌副教授、广西民族大学鲁学武副教授、河南工业大学杜巧阁副教授、对外经济贸易大学周玲玲副教授等。感谢法律英语证书(LEC)全国统一考试指导委员会将该套教材指定为复习应考LEC的参考用书。
各位教师或同学在使用本书的过程中有什么问题,欢迎及时与编者联系:zhangbook16@yahoo.com。
编者
2015年3月于中国政法大学
Third Period: Growth of Equity 1485-1832
1Emergence of Equity
The strict compliance with formalist procedure exposed the common law to two dangers: that of not developing with sufficient freedom to meet the needs of the period and that the dangers of becoming paralyzed because of the conservatism of the legal world of the time.
Unfortunately, these shortcomings of the royal courts could not be rectified or corrected by other courts that had general jurisdiction, for these courts were themselves in decline and gradually disappeared from the scene.
The situation led to the eventuality that in a number of cases, no just solution could be found. In seeking another way of obtaining redress, a direct appeal to the King, the fountain of all justice and favor, was the logical and natural option.
In cases of no solution or shocking solution, people addressed the King ask him to intervene as an act of royal grace to satisfy conscience and as a work of brotherly love. As the King''s confessor, the Chancellor had the responsibility of guiding the King''s conscience and would, if he thought it appropriate, transmit the request to the King for judgment in his council.
In other countries, the judges themselves could supply the required remedy by prohibiting the abuse of a right or fraud, or by applying the principle of public order and good morals; such remedies were possible on the European continent within the very framework of the legal principles. In England, however, the royal courts did not have same freedom of action because they had never had the same general jurisdiction and were bound to observe rigid procedures.
This recourse to the royal prerogative, perfectly justifiable and unopposed so long as it remained exceptional, could not fail to give rise to a conflict when it became institutionalized and developed into a system of legal rules set up in opposed to the common law.
Gradually request for intervention by the Chancellor became more frequently; the practice became institutionalized. At the time of the Wars of the Roses 1453-1485, the Chancellor became a more and more autonomous judge deciding alone in the name of King and his council. Decisions were made on the basis of the equity of the case. Equitable doctrines grew out of the chancellors decisions. These worked to add to and correct the legal principles applied by the royal courts.
After 1529, the Chancellor no longer served as confessor to the sovereign and was not an ecclesiastic but examined the petitions addressed to him as a real judge and observed a written procedure inspired by Canon law. The substantive principles he applied were also largely taken from Roman law and Canon law rather than the