LEGAL SYSTEMS

LEGAL SYSTEMS

In many countries, legal systems are very complex. This is because they have been developed over very long periods. Every time a new case is decided, it can have an effect on future cases. This means that the people who work in legal situations have to be clever. They have to know and understand all the rules and precedents. A precedent is when a previous decision will have an effect on future cases as it was related to an important point.

There are many people who work with the law, such as solicitors and judges. A solicitor is a lawyer who spends most of their time advising their clients and preparing legal documents, such as wills or contracts for buying and selling houses. They need to be very careful and make sure that all the details are correct, otherwise, their clients might lose a lot of money.

A barrister is a type of lawyer who works in courtrooms. They will either work for the prosecution or the defence. If they are a prosecution lawyer, they are trying to prove that the defendant (the person on trial) committed a crime. They have to present evidence to show that the defendant is guilty. If they are a defence lawyer, they work for the defendant and have to show that the evidence presented is not enough to prove their client is guilty and he should be found not guilty.

Then there are judges and magistrates. A magistrate will hear trials about less serious crimes, while a judge will be about more serious crimes. These are the people who have to decide what punishment will be given to someone who is guilty. The punishments range from a small fine up to a long prison sentence, and even a death sentence in some countries. The trial happens in the judge’s courtroom, so the judge is responsible for making sure the trial is run fairly and follows the law.

If a lawyer believes that a trial was not fair or there was a mistake in the law, they can ask for a new trial that will generally be heard by an appeal court, where an appellate judge will be in charge. Often appeal judges will be the most experienced judges in a country, so they know a lot about the law and how to apply it.