BLAW 371 EXAM 1 UNL – RUSSELL STUDY GUIDE
2026
Common Law - Answers -Law made and applied by judges as they resolve disputes
among private parties
What does common law refer to? - Answers -The body of the law that has developed
from court decisions
Precedent - Answers -Prior decisions being used to determine future cases
Stare Decisis - Answers -"Let the decision stand," or allowing prior rulings to control the
current case
Criminal Law - Answers -Law that states society says you should be punished as its
criminal
Private Law - Answers -Legal relationships among members of society, resolves
disputes, primarily common law
Public Law - Answers -Legal relationships between members of society and the
government, imposes legal constraints, bring about social change
Civil Law - Answers -Legal relationships between members of society, or individuals,
and the government in noncriminal matters, wrongdoer pays money but no jail time,
usually between two people
Procedural Law - Answers -How legal matters are processed through the court or
others systems and how it is to be enforced, the "nuts and bolts"
Substantive Law - Answers -Defines and establishes legal rights and regulates
behavior
Ethics - Answers -The rules or standards governing conduct of members of a
profession
Integrity - Answers -Living by a moral code and standards of ethics
Morality - Answers -Conformity to rules of correct conduct within the context of a
society, religion, or other institutional belief
True or False: Companies who have ethic codes get prosecutes as heavily as
companies who don't - Answers -False
, Compliance Program - Answers -Key factor in the agency's decision whether to
prosecute an organization or to recommend leniency to a court when a legal problem
arises
Law - Answers -No generally accepted definition, may be viewed as a collection of
rules or principles that limit and direct human behavior
Common Within Law Definitions - Answers -Set of rules or conduct for society to follow
with respect to law and how we are to govern ourselves
Measure of enforceability
Four Major Roles of Law - Answers -1. Influencing the behavior of members of the
society
2. Resolving disputes
3. Maintaining Important Social Values
4. Providing a method for assisting social change
Purpose of Laws - Answers -Improving social stability by influencing behavior so we
don't have to rely on ourselves
Conflict Resolution - Answers -A way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution
to a disagreement among them outside of the courts
Executive Orders - Answers -Formal orders issued by the president to establish or
enforce a legal requirement
Separation of Powers - Answers -The division of power among the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches of government
Difference Between Law and Morality - Answers -Law = requirements are negative
Morality = standards are positive
eg: morality says help the drowning man, the law does not require you to help, simple to
not drown him yourself.
Corporate Social Responsibility - Answers -The belief that businesses have a duty to
society that goes beyond obeying the law and maximizing profits
Peter Drucker's Definition of Business Ethics - Answers -Social responsibility applies to
those in leadership positions
U.S. Constitution - Answers -Fundamental law of the land and establishes the limits
and power of government
2026
Common Law - Answers -Law made and applied by judges as they resolve disputes
among private parties
What does common law refer to? - Answers -The body of the law that has developed
from court decisions
Precedent - Answers -Prior decisions being used to determine future cases
Stare Decisis - Answers -"Let the decision stand," or allowing prior rulings to control the
current case
Criminal Law - Answers -Law that states society says you should be punished as its
criminal
Private Law - Answers -Legal relationships among members of society, resolves
disputes, primarily common law
Public Law - Answers -Legal relationships between members of society and the
government, imposes legal constraints, bring about social change
Civil Law - Answers -Legal relationships between members of society, or individuals,
and the government in noncriminal matters, wrongdoer pays money but no jail time,
usually between two people
Procedural Law - Answers -How legal matters are processed through the court or
others systems and how it is to be enforced, the "nuts and bolts"
Substantive Law - Answers -Defines and establishes legal rights and regulates
behavior
Ethics - Answers -The rules or standards governing conduct of members of a
profession
Integrity - Answers -Living by a moral code and standards of ethics
Morality - Answers -Conformity to rules of correct conduct within the context of a
society, religion, or other institutional belief
True or False: Companies who have ethic codes get prosecutes as heavily as
companies who don't - Answers -False
, Compliance Program - Answers -Key factor in the agency's decision whether to
prosecute an organization or to recommend leniency to a court when a legal problem
arises
Law - Answers -No generally accepted definition, may be viewed as a collection of
rules or principles that limit and direct human behavior
Common Within Law Definitions - Answers -Set of rules or conduct for society to follow
with respect to law and how we are to govern ourselves
Measure of enforceability
Four Major Roles of Law - Answers -1. Influencing the behavior of members of the
society
2. Resolving disputes
3. Maintaining Important Social Values
4. Providing a method for assisting social change
Purpose of Laws - Answers -Improving social stability by influencing behavior so we
don't have to rely on ourselves
Conflict Resolution - Answers -A way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution
to a disagreement among them outside of the courts
Executive Orders - Answers -Formal orders issued by the president to establish or
enforce a legal requirement
Separation of Powers - Answers -The division of power among the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches of government
Difference Between Law and Morality - Answers -Law = requirements are negative
Morality = standards are positive
eg: morality says help the drowning man, the law does not require you to help, simple to
not drown him yourself.
Corporate Social Responsibility - Answers -The belief that businesses have a duty to
society that goes beyond obeying the law and maximizing profits
Peter Drucker's Definition of Business Ethics - Answers -Social responsibility applies to
those in leadership positions
U.S. Constitution - Answers -Fundamental law of the land and establishes the limits
and power of government
