Lesson 02 - Division of Law

The tribunal system is extensive and handles an extremely wide variety of legal issues. Recently, the tribunals have been re-organized and include e.g. the Mental Health Review Tribunals, the Immigration Services Tribunals and the Employment Tribunals.

Language Focus – Find in the text

Synonym for “dispute” -_________/_________/ _________.

Opposite to “major” _________.

Adjective form of “appeal” _________.

The court _________/_________/_________/_________ (projednává) cases.

2. Read the text about the system of courts in the Czech Republic and fill in the chart below with the names of courts as described in the text.

The court system is composed of the Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court, 2 high courts, 8 regional courts and 86 district courts. The Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court have their respective seats in Brno, high courts in Prague and Olomouc, respectively. The civil and criminal proceedings are governed by the „two instance“ principle. This means that if a case is decided by a first instance court, usually a district court, the appeal against such first instance judgment is heard and decided by a second instance court whose decision cannot be challenged by any ordinary means of remedy. The law stipulates specific cases when a regional court acts as a first instance court and in this event a high court acts as second instance (e.g. serious crime cases or most of commercial cases). The Supreme Court hears, in particular, extraordinary means of remedy and is responsible for uniformity of judicial practice. The Supreme Administrative Court is the supreme judicial body competent for cases heard by administrative judges and is responsible for uniformity and legality of judicial practice in administrative judiciary. A special place is occupied by the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, which is an independent body responsible to protect constitutionality outside the general court structure.

3. Writing

3.1 When writing or speaking we connect our ideas and sentences with various linking words, some examples are given below. Place them to suitable places in the table according to their function (addition of ideas, order or sequence, comparison, contrast).

like unlike first, second etc. however

also besides in the same manner (way) yet

next moreover on the other hand last of all

similarly on the contrary in addition to begin with

Can add more examples to each column?

3.2 The following sentences compare the system of English and Czech courts. Fill in the gaps with the following linking words:

then unlike finally first whereas in a similar way to

I would like to compare the system of Czech and English court. _____________ I will start with similarities, _____________ I will continue with the main differences, and _____________ I want to point out a few additional features.

The Czech courts are structured hierarchically, _____________ the English courts. There is a constitutional court in the Czech Republic, _____________ in the UK there is no such institution.