latin in the legal englis?

Question

Hi, I am an Italian student and i need some suggestions for my thesis.
I am conducting a research about the influence of latin in English, mainly
from the legal point of view. For this reason I am looking for a legal text
( it could be of any kind, an act, a bill...) which could be of help and
which I can use as an example for my theory.
Could any of you give me recommendations about where I could find it or
interesting details about this subject?
Many thanx

Answer 1

Hi Anna,

In the UK, the use of latin is gradually being phased out in law.

Historically, you will find the reason the law was so filled with latin is because people were taught to read and write in latin, subsequently the laws of the land were written in latin, often by monks, who were pretty much the only people who could read and write in those days.

Some phrases are still commonly used today though including.

Doli capax - Capable on knowing right from wrong
Pro Bono - Legal representation free of charge
Ex gratia - Done as a favour
Caveat emptor- Let the buyer beware
Ultra vires - beyond the powers

These are just a few.
Buy a copy of the Concise Dictionary of Law
It gives you a wealth of the common latin phrases and their meanings.

If yougo to the larger academic book shops they can reccomend good books on the history of law.

Hope this helps to get you started.

Very best of luck with the thesis.

Answer 2

findlaw.com (you should be able to access this from your university--if you have any problems, go to the political science or law school; this is a standard source they all use)
And--this is a bit different area of law--but a good source that might give you some samples people haven't seen before. I use it for my research and ts a reliable site:
wrightslaw.com (disability law and rights).

Also, go to the House of Representatives website and the section on American documents (the Constitution, etc.). The site not only has facimiles and commentary on all important documents, but a wealth of historical material. You'll likely find information on the links to English common law and its roots in Roman law.

Answer 3

Do a Yahoo! search with the terms "legal dictionary." The list of terms is unbelieveably long. Somewhere in the US the terms are used every day.

Answer 4

Latin is no longer used in UK courts.