Why study law

What is law?
A definition: law is the system of control (i.e. a set of rules) through which society operates (i.e. citizens must obey or suffer a penalty)
Law declares how we must behave and consists of those rules which are enforced through the legal system (particularly the courts)
The system is more complex in reality as the ‘rules’ are affected by social, economic, political and international considerations

Law, order, morality & justice
Preservation of order within the community (e.g. road rules)
Society’s values:
changing
competing
‘victimless’ crimes
Fair treatment
The rule of law

What is a legal system?
The totality of laws that regulate a state (i.e. a legally organised community)
Types of legal systems:
common law legal systems
civil law legal systems
Religious law – e.g. Islamic legal system, Halakha in Judaism, Indigenous legal system

Genesis of a legal system
The basic requirements are that there should be:
a body of laws
some source with the power necessary to create and alter those laws
some institution or process with the authority to administer and enforce them

Genesis of a constitution
A constitution is the basis of the legal system of any state
‘[A constitution is] the system of laws, customs and conventions which define the composition and powers of the organs of the state and regulate the relations of the various state organs to one another and to the private citizen.’
Professor Hood Phillips, Constitutional and Administrative Law, 5th ed, 1973

Civil law
Is the most widespread system of law in the world. It is also sometimes known as Continental European law. Civil law systems mainly derive from the Roman Empire.
Civil law was also partly influenced by religious laws such as Canon law and Islamic law.

The legal system of the Republic of Kazakhstan, along with legal systems of Italy, France, Germany, Austria and other countries, belongs to the Roman-German legal system.
As opposed to the Anglo-Saxon legal system (England, the USA), where judicial precedents are the main legal

sources, Roman-German legal system has a single hierarchically structured system of enacted law sources.
The Constitution has the highest juridical force on the entire territory of Kazakhstan.
International treaties ratified by Kazakhstan have priority over its domestic laws .

Common law
Common law are systems of law whose sources are the decisions in cases by judges.
Common law developed in England.
Almost every former colony of the British Empire has adopted it.
Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, USA and other places.

Religious law
Religious law refers to the notion of a religious system, being used as a legal source.
The main kinds of religious law are Sharia in Islam, Halakha in Judaism and Canon law in some Christian groups.
Religious law countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen.

Pluralistic systems
There are some countries that using two types of the legal systems.
These countries are called pluralistic countries.
For example: Civil law and religious law countries, Bahreyn, Indonesia etc.
Common law and religious law,
Nigeria, Malaysia etc.

The sources of law
Customary law
The law established by the habitual use of a group of people over a long period of time
Common law
The law developed by the courts
Legislation
The laws made by the body recognised by the legal system as having the supreme power and authority to make laws (usually the Parliament)

Characteristics of the law: certainty
People in both their personal and business lives should be able to:
form relationships with others
enter into contracts, such as those relating to marriage and the acquisition and disposal of property
reasonably secure in their knowledge of what they are doing and their understanding of its effects

Characteristics of the law: flexibility
The law must be able to respond without undue delay to the challenge of change at all levels of society

Characteristics of the law: fairness
The effectiveness of law depends upon its acceptance by members of society and that will not be available where a law is inequitable, unfair or unreasonable

Characteristics of the law: accessibility
All should have access to knowledge of the law, either directly or through intermediaries
‘[T]o bind the citizen by a law, the terms of which he has no means of knowledge, would be a mark of tyranny.’
Sir Garfield Barwick, Watson v Lee (1979) 144 CLR 374 at 379

Classification of the law: public law and private law
Public law
regulates the interaction of citizens with the state
(e.g. criminal law, constitutional law, administrative law)
Private law
regulates the relationship between individuals within a state (e.g. contract law, tort law, property law)

Public law
administrative law
company law (some)
constitutional law
criminal law
industrial law (some)
taxation and revenue law
trade practices law (some)

Private law
banking law
company law (some)
contract law
equity law
family law
property law
succession law
tort law
trust law

Classification of the law: criminal law and civil law
criminal law
generally aims to punish
civil law
generally aims to compensate

Civil law
contract law
tort law
negligence
trespass
defamation
nuisance

Civil law
corporations law
trade practices law
administrative law
family law

Criminal law
offences against the person
offences against property

CIVIL LAW CRIMINAL LAW
Why the overlap?
Types of law

Constitutional law
Constitutional law is concerned with the workings of Kazakhstan constitution, it covers such matters as the position of the President, procedures of Parliament, functioning of Government and citizenship.

Constitutional law
Every modern democratic state has three principal organs, the executive, which runs the country, the legislature, which makes the laws, and the judiciary, which settles legal disputes.
. Judicial power in the Republic of Kazakhstan belongs only to the courts in the face of permanent judges.
Justice in the Republic of Kazakhstan shall be administered only by a court.

Judicial power shall be exercised on behalf of the Republic of Kazakhstan and is
intended to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful interests of individuals and
organizations, and to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, laws, other regulatory legal acts, and international treaties of the Republic.

Everyone shall be guaranteed judicial defense against any unlawful decisions and acts of state agencies, organizations, officials and other persons which infringe or restrict the rights, freedoms and lawful interests provided by the Constitution and the laws of the Republic.

What is the Constitution?
The Constitution says how the government works. It creates the President. It creates the Parliament. It creates the Supreme Court.
The Constitution gives us rights and freedoms as citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The government is split into three parts or branches.
One branch is the Parliament. The Parliament makes laws. The people elect the members of the Parliament.
The next branch is the President. The President enforces the laws.
The last branch is the Courts. The courts decide what the law means when there are questions.
All of the parts have to work together. Just like the Framers agreed on the Constitution, the parts have to agree on the laws. No part has too much power. The power is shared. This helps protect the people.
The Constitution sets up the government.

How it all works

The President
The President is the head of the state.
The President is also a commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation that has been passed by the Parliament.
The President represents his country in international relations, he is the symbol and guarantor of the unity of the people and the state power.

The Parliament
The Parliament is the highest representative body of the Republic performing legislative functions.
The Parliament consists of two Chambers acting on permanent basis: Senate and Majilis.