TheCommonLawandItsCompetitorsThereisabewilderingvarietyoflegalsystemsintheworld.Everycountryhasitsown;andintheUnitedStates;eachstatehasalegalsystemfordealingwithitsinternalaffairs,withthenational(federal)systemontopofit.Alawstudentusuallystudiesthelawofasinglecountry---theoneheorsheplanstopracticein.Butlawisstrictlydefinedbynationality:itstopsattheborder.Outsideitshomebase,ithasnovalidityatall.Notwolegalsystems,then,areexactlyalike.Eachisspecifictoitscountryoritsjurisdiction.Thisdoesnotmean,ofcourse,thateverylegalsystemisentirelydifferentfromeveryotherlegalsystem.Notatall.Whentwocountriesaresimilarincultureandtradition,theirlegalsystemsarelikelytobesimilaraswell.NodoubtthelawsofAustraliaandNewZealandarenotthatfarapart.Wecanalsoclumplegalsystemstogetherintoclusters,or“families”----groupsoflegalsystemsthathaveimportanttraitsofstructure,substance,orcultureincommon.Thewordfamilyisuseddeliberately:inmostcases,membersofalegalfamilyarerelated,thatis,theyhaveacommonparentorancestor,orelsehaveborrowedtheirlawsfromacommonsource.EnglishsettlerscarriedEnglishlawwiththemtotheAmericancolonies,toCanada,Australia,NewZealandetc.ManycountriesintheworldoncewerepartoftheBritishEmpire.Thesecountriesarenowindependentandhavedistinctlegalsystemsoftheirown;buttheyhavekepttheirbasictraditions.Thelargestmostimportantfamilyistheso-calledcivil-lawfamily.MembersofthisfamilyoweacommondebttoRomanlaw.TheancientRomansweregreatlawmakers.TheirtraditionnevercompletelydiedoutinEurope.IntheMiddleAges,Romanlaw,initsclassicform,wasrediscoveredadrevived;eventoday,codesoflawinEuropereflect“theinfluenceofRomanlaw”.WesternEurope----France,Germany,Italy,Spain,Portugaletc.------isdefinitelycivil-lawcountry.ThroughSpainandPortugal,thecivillawtraveledtoLatinAmerica.TheFrenchbroughtittotheircoloniesinAfrica.TheFrenchbroughtittotheircoloniesinAfrica.InCanada,thecivillawisdominantintheFrench-speakingprovinceofQuebec.Itplaysamajorrole,too,incountrieslikeJapanandTurkey,whichstandcompletelyoutsidethehistoricaltraditionbutwhichborrowedchunksofRomanlawinrecenttimes,inhopesofgettingmoderninahurry.Civil-lawsystemsare,generallyspeaking,“codified”systems;thebasiclawissetoutincodes.Thesearestatutes,orrathersuperstatutes,enactedbythenationalparliament,whicharrangewholefieldsoflawinanorderly,logical,andcomprehensiveway.Historically,themostimportantofthecodeswasthecivilcodeofFrance,theso-calledCodeNapoleon.Ithashadatremendousinfluenceontheformandsubstanceofmostlatercodes.DuringtheRenaissance,EuropeanlegalscholarshipwasdazzledbythepowerandbeautyoftherediscoveredRomanlaw.Onecountry,however,managedtoresisttheso-called“reception,”thatis,theacceptanceofRomanlaw.Englandalonewasnotseduced.Itheldfasttoitsnativetraditions.ManyideasandtermsfromRomanandEuropeanlawdid,tobesure,creepintoEnglishlaw;butthecorelegalsystemofthisislandheldfirm.Thistenaciouslocalsystemwastheso-calledcommonlaw.Itdifferedandcontinuestodifferinmanywaysfromthelegalorderinitsneighboringcountries.Foronethingthecommonlawresistedcodification.ThereeverwasanEnglishequivalentoftheNapoleonicCode.ThebasicprinciplesoflawwerenotfoundprimarilyinactsofParliament,butinthecaselaw-----thebodyofdecidingparticularcases.Thedoctrineof“precedent”-----themaximthatajudgeisboundinsomewaybywhathasalreadybeendecided----isstrictlyacommon-lawdoctrine.Thecommonlawalsohasitsownpeculiarfeature...
