7. The history of Legal training in the usa.

There had been neither legal profession nor legal education in the colonies of Britain until the 18^th century. Before the revolution a certain number of lawyers had received their training in England, in the Inns of Court. Legal education was at a low ebb in the 18^th century England. The universities had never taught the law of the land. The medieval system of the Inns of Court had decayed. The system that now obtains had neither been set up nor there were good models at hand after the revolution in America to develop its own methods of legal education. So far as the models were English, they were, either the purely apprentice training of the lower branch of the profession in England, or the academic lectures on the law of the land which began with Blackstone’s lectures at Oxford. This example was followed in America.

After the Revolution, students ceased to go from America to the Inns of Court. Since that time education for the Bar had became distinctly American. Beginning from this point, three stages of development may be distinguished. These stages correspond to three periods in American legal history.

Билет 4.

Anglo – American Law.

At the time of the Norman Conquest, 1066, justice was administered in England mainly by local courts. The king also had a court but that court was for men of high degree.

The Norman Kings did not destroy that system at once. They transformed it gradually and thus brought about quite a different system in which the bulk of justice in the country was administered by King’s courts with jury trial. Jury trial became soon the standard method of deciding questions of fact. Those courts had a formalized system of pleading and procedure.

The Norman Kings enlarged the prerogative power of the king. Great role in that process was played by writs – written orders that some specific thing be done or not done. The King’s writs and the king’s justice with its jury trial became popular, because it was better justice.

But by the end of the 13^th century the judicial system represented by the King’s courts became formally rigid with a limited number of fixed forms of action.

At the same time the scope of common law, and later of equity expanded. At last the two systems began operating throughout the country and became a basis for the present English legal system.

Билет 5.

State system of the russian federation

The Russian Federation is set up by the Constitution of 1993. Under the Constitution Russia is a presidential republic. The federal government consists of three brаnches: legislative, executive and judicial. Each of them is checked and balanced by the President.

The legislative power is vested in the Federal Assembly. It consists of two chambers. The Upper Chamber is the Council Federation; the Lower Chamber is the State Duma.

Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. Legislature may be initiated in either of the two chambers. But to become a law a bill must be approved by both Chambers and signed by the President. The president may veto the bill.

The President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he makes treaties, enforces laws, appoints ministers to be approved by the Federal Assembly.

The executive power belongs to the Government which is headed by the Prime Minister. The first action of the Prime Minister on appointment is to form the Cabinet.

The judicial branch is represented by the Constitution Court, the Supreme Court and the regional courts.

The members of the Federal Assembly are elected by popular vote for a four-year period.

Today the state symbol of Russia is a three-coloured banner. It has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one stands for the sky, and the red one symbolizes liberty. It was the first state symbol that replaced the former symbols in 1991. The hymn of Russia is written by Aleksandrov and Mikhalkov. A new national emblem is a two-headed eagle. It is the most ancient symbol of Russia. It originates from the heraldic emblem of the Ruricovitches. All these symbols are official. They have been approved by the Federal Assembly.

Topical Vocabulary

• to be set up - быть учрежденным

• under the Constitution - в соответствии с Конституцией

• a presidential republic президентская республика

• the federal government -Федеральное правительство

• a branch - власть, ветвь власти

• executive - исполнительная

• judicial - судебная

• to be checked by smb. – контролироваться кем-либо

• to be balanced by smb. –уравновешиваться кем-либо

• to be vested in осуществляться кем-либо

• the Federal Assembly Федеральное собрание

• a chamber - палата

• the Council of Federation - Совет Федерации

• to be headed by the Speaker - возглавляться спикером

• to initiate a legislature – внести законопроект

• to approve a bill – принять законопроект

• to be signed by smb. –быть подписанным кем-либо

• to veto the bill – наложить вето на законопроект

• commander-in-chief - главнокомандующий

• the armed forces - вооруженные стлы

• to make a treaty - заключить договор

• to enforce law - проводить закон в жизнь

• to appoint a minister - назначить министра

• to belong to smb. – принадлежать кому-либо

• the Prime Minister - премьер-министр

• on appointment -после назначения

• to form the Cabinet - формировать кабинет

• to represented by smb - быть представленным кем-либо

• the Constitutional Court - Конституционный суд

• the Supreme Court - Верховный суд

• a regional court – региональный суд

• to be elected by popular vote - быть избранным всенародным голосованием

• the state symbol - государственный символ

• a banner - знамя

• a hymn - гимн

• a national emblem to originate from smth. - происходить от чего-либо.

Answer the questions

1. What does the federal government consist of?

2. What part does the President play in the government?

3. What is the legislative power vested in?

4. How does a bill become a law?

5. What are the functions of the President?

6. What are the executive and the judicial branches represented by?

7. What are the official symbols of Russia?

Билет 6.