A Bit More About Case Law & How it Works: Chapter 3

📚 In this chapter of my free New Zealand law course, we dig deeper into how case law works and how to find the legal rule (ratio decidendi) in a case. This is one of the most important skills for any law student.

You’ll learn how to identify whether a legal rule comes from a statute or a case, how to find out which case sets a legal precedent, and how to spot the main issue and rule in a judgment. We’ll also cover what to do when a case works against your argument – by understanding how to distinguish cases.

🔎 What you’ll learn in this video:
• Does the law come from a statute or a case?
• Where to find case law in NZ
• What is precedent-setting case law?
• How to read a case and find the ratio decidendi
• What is obiter dicta and how is it different from the rule?
• Tips to quickly find the legal rule in a case
• What is distinguishing a case and how do lawyers use it?

🎯 Keywords terms in this video:
case law New Zealand • ratio decidendi explained • how to find the law in a case • legal precedent NZ • distinguishing cases NZ law • statute vs case law • law school tips NZ • legal studies support • reading judgments NZ • NZ case law for students

🧠 Who this is for:
• New Zealand law students (1st year and beyond)
• High school students studying legal studies
• Aussie or Commonwealth law students learning about case law
• Anyone trying to understand how the courts use legal precedent
• Students prepping for law exams, tests or assignments

🌐 Need study support? Grab my notes & free resources here:
📘 https://julieschmidtlaw.com
✅ Affordable law school notes
✅ Free downloadable study resources
✅ Study tips written by a former top law student

🕘 Chapters in this video:
00:00 – Statute vs Case Law
02:10 – How to find precedent cases
04:40 – What is the rule of a case?
06:55 – Obiter dicta vs ratio decidendi
08:15 – Tips for finding the rule
10:00 – What is distinguishing a case?

📌 Next up: Chapter 4 – Statutes & How Parliament Makes Law

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💬 Comment with questions or topics you want covered
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