法律英语 第九课 合同法.ppt

1、2020/9/20,法律英语,1,Lesson Nine Contract Law,2020/9/20,法律英语,2,The web of the law,May not be quite seamless 法律之网可能并非结实无缝 They are not ironclad and unchanging 法律并非打不破和不可改变。,2020/9/20,法律英语,3,Contract Definition,A contract is basically an agreement between two or more people which creates an obligation to

2、do, or not do, something. The agreement creates a legal relationship of rights and duties. If the agreement is broken, then the law provides certain remedies.,2020/9/20,法律英语,4,Three Factors,There are three factors necessary to create a contract: 1) an offer, 2) acceptance, and 3) consideration. One

3、party makes an offer, the second party must accept the offer and there must be consideration exchanged. Consideration has to be something of value.,2020/9/20,法律英语,5,Example of Contracts,Employment contracts Service Contracts Building Construction Insurance Contracts Contract involving real property

4、Sale of Intangibles(stocks, bonds, patents, copyrights,etc),2020/9/20,法律英语,6,Contract law,Contract law covers the legal implications of a contract. For instance, contract law determines what is and is not consideration, whether a contract was actually intended, if the parties making the contract wer

5、e legally competent, whether there was fraud or duress involved, or how a contract is terminated.,2020/9/20,法律英语,7,Background,Uniform Commercial Code Consumer Protection Statutes Labor Law Insurance Law,涉及合同问题,2020/9/20,法律英语,8,美国合同法,2020/9/20,法律英语,9,reliefintheformofspecificperformance 特殊履行的救济方式 the

6、injunction 禁令（临时或最终的采取或不采取某种行为的命令） thedevelopmentofsocalled maximsofequitylaw 形成所谓的衡平法座右铭,Specialcharacteristicsofequitylaw：,2020/9/20,法律英语,10,However,equitablereliefregularlywill lieonlywhenthecommonlawreliefis inadequate. 不过，只有当普通法救济不充分时，才适用衡平救济。,2020/9/20,法律英语,11,Forinstance,specificperformancefo

7、rthepurchaseofrealproperty willbegrantedbecausecommonlawdamagesaredeemedtobeinadequatesince theycannotcompensatethebuyer inviewoftheuniquenessattributedto realproperty. 例如，对购买不动产提供特殊履行的救济，因为普通法的赔偿被认为不充分，由于不动产具有特殊性，普通法的赔偿无法补偿买方。,2020/9/20,法律英语,12,假如房屋的卖方于成交后出尔反尔了，那么买方按普通法原则之规定得提出损害赔偿之诉。但买方如要求强制卖方出售（即

8、要求履行），则买方则援引的是衡平法上的原则了。 Suppose that a vendor of house backs out on the deal. The vendee may sue for damages under common-law principles, but if he wants a court to force the seller to sell (specific performance) he uses principles developed in equity.,2020/9/20,法律英语,13,“ordinary”commonlawreliefofda

9、mages普通法规定的赔偿金救济,“extraordinary”equityremedyofspecificperformance衡平法规定的特定履行救济,2020/9/20,法律英语,14,TEXT,Contract an agreement between two or more persons. Not merely a shared belief 不仅仅是共有的想法 A common understanding as to something 而且是对某些未来将要进行的事项有共同的理解,2020/9/20,法律英语,15,Contract,Document The set of pap

10、ers in which such agreement is set forth. 文件陈述契约的一系列文件。,2020/9/20,法律英语,16,For lawyers,Contract - an agreement that has legal effect. 合同是具有法律效力的契约。 It creates obligations for which some sort of legal enforcement will be available if performance is not forthcoming as promised. 它设立了当不按约履行时，便可由某种法律强制手段保

11、证实施的义务。,2020/9/20,法律英语,17,Three elements in a transactioncontract,1. The agreement-in-fact事实协议 2. The agreement-in-written书面协议 3. The set of rights and duties 一系列权利与义务,2020/9/20,法律英语,18,THE WAYS订立协议和执行协议的方法,The role of lawyers and judges 1. In creating contracts 在制定合同中的作用； 2.in deciding disputes tha

12、t may arise with respect to their performance 在裁决履行合同时可能出现争议时的作用； 3.in fashioning appropriate remedies for their breach 在形成对其违约的适当补救时的作用,2020/9/20,法律英语,19,Property,A great of thing are susceptible “ownership”,2020/9/20,法律英语,20,Ring,bulldozer,Gone with the wind,The Empire State Building,2020/9/20,法律英

13、语,21,Rights,国家保护该“所有人”使用、享受乃至耗费该物的权利，将所有其他人排除在这种权利之外。,Exclusion,2020/9/20,法律英语,22,Real property,不动产,Land,buildings,动产personal property,2020/9/20,法律英语,23,real property: all land, structures, firmly attached and integrated equipment, anything growing on the land, and all interests in the property. per

14、sonal property (personalty) : movable assets (things, including animals) which are not real property, money or investments.,2020/9/20,法律英语,24,Less tangible property不太有形的资产,Copyrights 版权 Patents 专利权 Shares of corporate stock 公司股权 Negotiable instruments 票据权,2020/9/20,法律英语,25,Any social that,Recognizes

15、 property rights,Also address the question of how it should respond when someone violates those rights,2020/9/20,法律英语,26,Even societies that do not permit private ownership of wealth to the degree that ours does are likely to recognize the personal rights of individuals to be free from certain kinds

16、 of conduct 即使是那些对财产私有权的许可没有达到我们这种程序的社会，也会承认个人的人身权利不受某种行为的侵犯。,2020/9/20,法律英语,27,certain kinds of conduct,给人造成身体伤害 其他对个人自由或尊严的侵犯,Infliction of physical injury,Other interferences with freedom or dignity,2020/9/20,法律英语,28,Criminal law vs. tort law,Criminal law focuses in those violations of personal a

17、nd property rights that society deems serious enough to be deterred by the threat of severe punishment for their commission,Tort law considers what remedy should be made to the individuals so injured,2020/9/20,法律英语,29,Treason判国罪 Tax evasion偷税罪,Slander诽谤,2020/9/20,法律英语,30,Ownership of property,Includ

18、e the right to use and consume the thing owned 所有权包括对属于自己的物品使用和耗费的权利 be more to the advantage of the owner to transfer the right of the ownership to some other person in exchange for something else of value 有时所有者以所有权与其他人交换有价值的东西可能更有利。,2020/9/20,法律英语,31,2020/9/20,法律英语,32,Agreements for exchange are t

19、he means by which some resources are assembled and put to productive use. 交换的契约是将一些资源组合起来，使之得到有效利用的手段。,2020/9/20,法律英语,33,Some agreement for exchange call for the immediate and simultaneous exchange of money for goods and services. 有效交换契约要求现金与货物、服务的立即和同时交换。,2020/9/20,法律英语,34,Exchange of significant s

20、ize涉及到大额交易时,Both the planning and performance to be spread over a considerable period of time 交易的计划和履行都要经历相当长的时间。,2020/9/20,法律英语,35,The law of contracts,Legal mechanism for protecting the expectations that arise from the making of agreements for the future exchange of various types of performance. 合

21、同法是保护预期的法律机制，该预期产生于就未来交易各类履行而制定的契约。,2020/9/20,法律英语,36,Legal problems do not always fit neatly into the pigeonholes that legal theorists have created. 法律问题不可能总是与法理学家所创立的分类完全相符。 Frequently they raise issues involving more than one body of law. 法律问题往往涉及到不止一部法律。,2020/9/20,法律英语,37,“fraud” conduct欺诈行为,Lea

22、se agreements between landlord and tenant,2020/9/20,法律英语,38,The web of the law,May not be quite seamless 法律之网可能并非结实无缝 They are not ironclad and unchanging 法律并非打不破和不可改变。,2020/9/20,法律英语,39,Source /authority法律渊源,以前的司法判决成文法法令,劝导性法源 法学家的解释美国法学会的法律注释汇编,2020/9/20,法律英语,40,首要法源,2020/9/20,法律英语,41,次要法源,2020/9/

23、20,法律英语,42,What are Restatements of the Law法律注释汇编,Restatements are secondary sources that seek to restate the legal rules that constitute the common law in a particular area. They are written by the American Law Institute (ALI), a prestigious legal organization composed of noted professors, judges a

24、nd lawyers. The ALI has completed Restatements in 15 areas of law including Torts, Contracts, Property, Conflict of Laws, Foreign Relations Law, and Products Liability.,2020/9/20,法律英语,43,Contract law,Common law Judge-made law 法官定法 Rules distilled from a composite of court decisions in prior cases. 从

25、以前案件的各种法官判决意见中抽取出来的规则,2020/9/20,法律英语,44,Technical jargon 专业术语,Assumpsit 口头约定 Quantum meruit按合理价格给付,Consideration对价 Offer要约,2020/9/20,法律英语,45,Judicial system of decision-making 司法决策体制,Stare decisis 遵从前例 adherence to past decisions (Precedents) A prior decision with facts sufficiently similar to the c

26、ase “subjudice”, that the court feels obliged to follow it and to render a similar decision. 以前案例的事实与尚未判决的案件事实非常相似，法院认为有义务按照前例做出类似的判决。,2020/9/20,法律英语,46,Doctrine of stare decisis,Where precedent merely requires that courts look to previous decisions for guidance, stare decisis requires that a court

27、follow their own decisions and the decisions of higher courts within the same jurisdiction. For example, in the U.S., a state trial court must allow its own decisions and the decisions of appellate courts in that state; an intermediate appellate court must follow its own decisions and the decisions

28、of the states highest appellate court. Federal courts of appeal must generally follow their own prior decisions and those of the U.S. States Supreme Court, but they are not bound by decisions of federal district courts or other appellate courts.,2020/9/20,法律英语,47,Terms and proper names,Two types of

29、judicial precedents Binding precedent: Where the doctrine of stare decisis applies, precedent is binding and a courts options are limited. A court must harmonize the result in the present case with past decisions. Only after explaining why previous cases are inapplicable may a court fashion new rule

30、s or modify existing ones. A court may never ignore or contradict binding precedent. Persuasive precedent: Where the doctrine of stare decisis is not applicable, as with decisions from other jurisdictions or lower courts in the same jurisdiction, courts are free to follow previous decisions or ignor

31、e them. Although courts are not bound by such decisions, they remain persuasive because their reasoning can illuminate possible solutions to a problem.,2020/9/20,法律英语,48,Stare decisis,Latin for to stand by things decided. Stare decisis is essentially the doctrine of precedent. Courts cite to stare d

32、ecisis when an issue has been previously brought to the court and a ruling already issued. Generally, courts will adhere to the previous ruling, though this is not universally true.,2020/9/20,法律英语,49,2020/9/20,法律英语,50,从两个方面证明以判例法为主要依据的法律制度的合法性,1. Offers a high degree of predictability of decision 提高

33、了判决的可预见性程度 2. Puts a rein on the nature proclivity of judges to decide cases on the basis of prejudice, personal emotion, or other improper factors. 限制法官在案件判决时以偏见、个人情感或其他不恰当因素为基础的自然癖好。,2020/9/20,法律英语,51,2020/9/20,法律英语,52,The characteristic of a system,Which may sometimes be a virtue, sometimes a def

34、ect, of being static and conservative, generally oriented toward preservation of the status quo. 遵从前例的制度的特征是静止和守旧，总体上趋向于保持现状，这有时是优点，有时是缺点。,2020/9/20,法律英语,53,案例法的优点，灵活性和成长的能力，随着一件件新的案件告到法院，一个个新的判决也就补充起来。这样法律就能跟上时代的步伐并适应不断变化的客观情况。案例法的害处，就是上述优点的反而。例如边沁曾对事后立法原则加以指责并称判例制度为狗法，他说：“是法官们在制度共同法，你知道他们是怎么样制定的吗？

35、就同一个人替他的那条狗立法一样，狗做了人不让做的事情，人们事先袖手旁观，然后在事发后揍他。这是人替狗立法的方法，也是法官替你我立法的方式。 The advantage of the case law is the power of flexibility and growth. New decisions are constantly being added as new cases come before the courts. In this way the law tends to keep pace with the times and can adapt itself to chan

36、ging circumstances. The drawbacks of case law in some cases merely the converse aspects of the advantages. For example, jeremy bentham criticised the principle of the law following the event dogs law system, it is, he says,the judges that make the common law , do you know how they make it ?just as a

37、 man makes laws for his dog, when your dog does something you want to break him of , you wait till he does it and then beat him , this is the way you make laws for your dog, this is the way the judge makes laws for you.,2020/9/20,法律英语,54,案例法受的另一个指责，则是先例的的拘束力限制了审判上的裁量，有人还说，法官们是在替自己铸造脚镣。这一点可以用共同受雇说来加以

38、说明，此说是由上议院在普里斯特告福尔一案中所规定的（1837），它说，如果两人在受雇范围内行事时，其中一人被同事伤害了，那么他俩的雇主对这一疏忽不代为负责。在工业大发展时期运用这一规则，是极不公道的。但是这条规则在（1948年人身伤害法律改良法）予以废除前，却拘束了法官百多年之久。这其间，法官能做的，只是限制这一规则的运用。 A further criticism is that the binding force of precedent limits judicial discretion. It has been said that judges are engaged in forgi

39、ng fetters for their own feet. This can beillustrated by the doctrine of common employment. Which was laid down by the house of lords in Priestley v.Fowler(1837). This doctrine said that if a employee was injured by a fellow employee whilst both were acting within the scope of their employment, thei

40、r employer was not liable vicariously for the negligence.the rule operated in a most unjust fasion during the period of great industrial development, but it continued to bind judges for over a century until it was finally abolished by the Law Reform(Personal Injuries)Act,1948.all the judges could do

41、 in the meantime was to limit its scope.,2020/9/20,法律英语,55,Blind adherence,When a common law judge concludes that blind adherence to precedent would produce an unjust result in the case presented for decision. 普通法法官盲目坚持判例，也会导致对当前案例判决的不公正结果。,2020/9/20,法律英语,56,避免的方法：,A precedent is considered to be “b

42、inding” on a court only if it was decided by that same court or by an appellate court of higher rank in the same jurisdiction. 同一个管辖区的相同法院或其上级巡回法院作出的先例判决才有约束力。 Other precedents are be “ persuasive”. 其他判例只具有劝导性。,2020/9/20,法律英语,57,A precedent,If a precedent of the latter type is in fact unpersuasive,

43、the judge is free to disregard it. 如果后一种类型的判例实际上没有劝导性，法官可以忽视该判例。,2020/9/20,法律英语,58,If the precedent is not merely persuasive, but binding, it cannot simply be ignored. It may, however, be avoided. 如果判例不仅有劝导性而且有约束力，那么该判例不能简单地被忽视，但却可以被回避。,A precedent,2020/9/20,法律英语,59,If the facts of the present case

44、do not include a fact that appears to have been necessary (“material”) to the earlier decision, the court may “distinguish” the precedent, render a different decision. 如果以前判决不包含对当前案例有实质必要影响的事实，那么法院可以“区别”前例，提出不同的判决。,A precedent,2020/9/20,法律英语,60,If the earlier precedent is indeed binding, but is diff

45、icult or impossible to distinguish, there is one other way to avoid its effect. 如果比较早的判例确实有约束力，但是难以或无法区别，有一个其他方法避免其效力。,A precedent,2020/9/20,法律英语,61,If the court of decision is the one that created the precedent (or is a higher court), it can simply “overrule” the early decision. 如果判决的法院与作出先例的法院相同，或

46、者比作出先例的法院等级高，它可以“推翻” 以前的判决。,A precedent,2020/9/20,法律英语,62,2020/9/20,法律英语,63,Overruling relatively drastic action,Is usually reserved for instances in which the court feels that the rule established by the earlier precedent was ill conceived at the outset or it has been outmoded by the later developm

47、ents. 推翻前例是个比较激烈的行为，一般在法院觉得以前的判例一开始就设计错误时或者随着以后的发展该判例不合时宜时才采用。,2020/9/20,法律英语,64,Contract law,Historically, as common law普通法 Rather than statute 制定法 Exception : “statute of frauds” “欺诈条例”是个例外,Requires certain contracts to be evidenced by a signed writing 该条例要求某些合同是书面合同。,2020/9/20,法律英语,65,Statute of

48、frauds,Law in every state which requires that certain documents be in writing, such as real property titles and transfers (conveyances), leases for more than a year, wills and some types of contracts. The original statute was enacted in England in 1677 to prevent fraudulent title claims.,2020/9/20,法

49、律英语,66,Statute of frauds,The statute of frauds has itself become so overlaid by court decisions that it has more of quality of common law than of a modern statute. 该欺诈条例本身已添加了如此多的法官判决意见，以至于它具有的普通法的品质已经超过其现代制定法的品质。,2020/9/20,法律英语,67,Contract law,Essentially a common law system, except be affected by

50、a remarkable modern statute, the Uniform Commercial Code. 除非受到著名的现代制定法统一商法典的影响，合同法至今还保留着普通法体系。,2020/9/20,法律英语,68,When a court decided a case governed by a statute, its reasoning differs from that used when common law principles are applied. 当法院依照制定法判案时，法院的推论与采用普通法原则时是不同的。,2020/9/20,法律英语,69,Statute,A

51、ny court , even the highest court of the jurisdiction, is bound to follow the provisions of a valid statute that apply to the dispute before it. 所有法院甚至最高法院都要依据有效的制定法条款规定来处理提交到它面前的争议。,2020/9/20,法律英语,70,Fundamental political tenet,The legislature has ultimate lawmaking power so long as its acts within

52、 the bounds of its constitutional authority. 社会基本政治原则：只要在宪法授权的范围之内，立法机关有最终的立法权。,Modify修改,Eliminate废除,2020/9/20,法律英语,71,对制定法文字有不同的解释,Courts seek to ascertain the legislatures purpose in enacting it, in order to adopt a construction that will best effectuate that purpose. 法院试图确定立法机关的意图，以便采用能最好地实现该意图的解

53、释。,Legislative history,2020/9/20,法律英语,72,American Law Institute,Formed in 1923. Preparation and promulgation of what purported to be accurate and authoritative summaries of the rules of common law in various fields 美国法律协会准备和发布各领域精确的权威的普通法规则汇编。,Restatement注释汇编,2020/9/20,法律英语,73,American Law Institute

54、,The American Law Institute(ALI) was established in 1923 to define, summarize, or restate existing common law. Between 1923 and 1944, Restatements were adopted for the law of agency, conflict of laws, contracts, judgments, property, restitution, security, torts, and trusts.,2020/9/20,法律英语,74,The Res

55、tatement of Contracts,合同法注释汇编 The first and most successful “restatement” Acceptance and use by the bench and bar Adopted by ALI in 1932.,2020/9/20,法律英语,75,The Restatement,Consists of “black-letter” statements of the “general rule” 关于“一般规则”的“黑体字”陈述 Supported with at least some commentary and illustration 至少有几个注释和例证作补充 Dont have the force of law 没有法律效力,2020/9/20,法律英语,76,The Restatements,Secondary authority 次要法源 Remarkably persuasive 非常有说服力 A court often justify its d