1. Goals: Students will 1. Complete discussion re case law study. 2. Understand basic legal jurisprudence. 3. Take first vocabulary quiz. 4. Understand the concepts of legal ethics

2.  Stare decisis – ◦ Means precedent of the case for cases that follow ◦ Defining principle of common law is the requirement that the courts follow decisions of higher courts in their jurisdiction. ◦ Helps establish commonality in law.

3.  This is the court level that defines to a great degree how binding other court decisions are upon other courts in that jurisdiction. ◦ The Federal System:  Three tiers  US District Court – trial court  US Court of Appeals – first level of appeal  Supreme Court – final decision-maker

4.  Two important meanings: ◦ Refers to the formal power of a court to exercise authority over a particular matter. ◦ The geographical regions wherein the different courts lay.

5.  Mandatory/Binding v. Persuasive Authority ◦ Some aspects of legal decisions are mandatory or binding and courts in their jurisdiction must follow those rules of law. ◦ Other sources are merely persuasive  Courts may completely ignore findings that are not binding – it depends totally on the jurisdiction of the deciding court.

6.  Primary sources of law (cases from higher court, statutes, regulations) may be mandatory or merely persuasive depending on the nature of the primary source.  Secondary sources (law review articles, hornbooks stating the general law) is not law and is never mandatory. ◦ A court may look toward secondary sources for guidance on how to resolve a particular issue. ◦ Secondary sources are also good places to go to find citations to primary sources.

7.  15 minutes to look over the words.  Take Quiz  Correct Quiz in class

8.  Goal: The students will ◦ Understand the concepts of legal ethics

9.  Definition: moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. ◦ The moral correctness of specified conduct.

10.  The term given to the code that is set up by the legal professionals that details their moral and professional duties to clients.