An encyclopedia or encyclopædia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge from either all branches or from a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are often arranged alphabetically by article name and sometimes by thematic categories. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries. Generally speaking, unlike dictionary entries—which focus on linguistic information about words, such as their etymology, meaning, pronunciation, use, and grammatical forms—encyclopedia articles focus on factual information concerning the subject named in the article's title.
Simony is the act of selling church offices and roles. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9–24 as having offered two disciples of Jesus, Peter and John, payment in exchange for their empowering him to impart the power of the Holy Spirit to anyone on whom he would place his hands. The term extends to other forms of trafficking for money in "spiritual things." Simony was one of the important issues during the Investiture Controversy.
Sovereign immunity, or crown immunity, is a legal doctrine by which the sovereign or state cannot commit a legal wrong and is immune from civil suit or criminal prosecution, strictly speaking in modern texts in its own courts. A similar, stronger rule as regards foreign courts is named state immunity.
A sinecure is an office – carrying a salary or otherwise generating income – that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, where it signified a post without any responsibility for the "cure [care] of souls", the regular liturgical and pastoral functions of a cleric, but came to be applied to any post, secular or ecclesiastical, that involved little or no actual work. Sinecures have historically provided a potent tool for governments or monarchs to distribute patronage, while recipients are able to store up titles and easy salaries.
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate degree in law originating in England and offered in Japan and most common law jurisdictions—except the United States and Canada—as the degree which allows a person to become a lawyer. It historically served this purpose in the U.S. as well, but was phased out in the mid-1960s in favor of the Juris Doctor degree, and Canada followed suit.
Legal ethics, principles of conduct that members of the legal profession are expected to observe in their practice. They are an outgrowth of the development of the legal profession itself.
Hardinge Stanley Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury, PC QC later KC was a British lawyer and Conservative politician. He served three times as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, for a total of seventeen years.
A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license. A legal license is granted and exercised locally; while the law degree can have local, international, and world-wide aspects- e.g., in Britain the Legal Practice Course is required to become a British solicitor or the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) to become a barrister.
LexisNexis Quicklaw is a Canadian electronic legal research database that provides court decisions from all levels, news reports, provincial and federal statutes, journals, and other legal commentary. It also offers a case citator and case digests. In 2002 Quicklaw was purchased by LexisNexis and is now a subsidiary of LexisNexis Canada.
Halsbury's Statutes of England and Wales provides updated texts of every Public General Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Measure of the Welsh Assembly, or Church of England Measure currently in force in England and Wales, as well as a number of private and local Acts, with detailed annotations to each section and Schedule of each Act. It incorporates the effects of new Acts of Parliament and secondary legislation into existing legislation to provide a consolidated "as amended" text of the current statute book.
Judicial review is a process under which executive or legislative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws acts and governmental actions that are incompatible with a higher authority: an executive decision may be invalidated for being unlawful or a statute may be invalidated for violating the terms of a constitution. Judicial review is one of the checks and balances in the separation of powers: the power of the judiciary to supervise the legislative and executive branches when the latter exceed their authority. The doctrine varies between jurisdictions, so the procedure and scope of judicial review may differ between and within countries.
The Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents is a large collection of non-litigious legal forms and precedents published by LexisNexis UK.
The Laws of Australia – Encyclopedia is an encyclopaedia of the laws of Australia. Published by Lawbook Co. (Westlaw), it is one of the two foremost legal encyclopaedias in Australia, the other being Halsbury's Laws of Australia by LexisNexis.
Peri J. Bearman is an academic scholar of Islamic law. She was the Associate Director of the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School. She is also currently the Islam section editor for the Journal of the American Oriental Society (JAOS).
The Laws of New Zealand is an encyclopaedic work which is a New Zealand equivalent of Halsbury's Laws of England. Publication commenced in 1992. It is an encyclopaedia of the laws of New Zealand and is intended to provide a reliable statement of the whole law of New Zealand – statutory, regulatory, and judicial. It is published by LexisNexis and is the only current encyclopaedia of New Zealand law. Each title includes extensive cross-referencing to other titles as well as to Halsbury’s Laws of England and Halsbury's Laws of Australia.
Halsbury's Laws of Canada is an encyclopedia of the laws of Canada based on the model of Halsbury's Laws of England.
Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong is an encyclopaedia on the laws of Hong Kong based on the model of the Halsbury's Laws of England and is currently the only encyclopaedic legal work in Hong Kong. It covers 80 subject areas and is written prominent Hong Kong's leading experts.
