Abstract
The article provides an introduction to the historical foundation of the Icelandic legal system. Nordic influences are explained with reference to the settlement of Iceland and the countries cultural roots. Furthermore, American influences on Icelandic culture are outlined in effort to detect whether such influences have shaped the legal landscape of Iceland. Based on theories of comparative law, it is evident that the Icelandic legal system is similar to that of other Nordic countries and American influences are not prominent. Research suggests that American influence on the Icelandic legal system is mostly indirect, affecting Iceland through legislation of other Nordic countries. However, the Icelandic legal system differs in some ways from the criteria that have been used to define the members of the Nordic legal family. This applies, for example, in regard to judicial review and the role of laymen in the court system. When it comes to number of lawyers and law schools, Iceland however shows more similarity to the United States than Nordic countries. Outnumbering the Nordic countries in lawsuits, this also seems to be the case in regard to the trend of “judicialization”, which is greater in Iceland than in its neighboring countries.
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- 1.
Þorgilsson (1122–1133).
- 2.
Google translates his name as “Woolf-Ugly”, but the contextual meaning is “Woolf-Brigth”.
- 3.
Jóhannesson (1960), pp. 10–41.
- 4.
Jóhannesson (1960), pp. 10–41.
- 5.
According to The Saga of Erik the Red (i. Eiríks sögu rauða). Unknown writer. http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en.
- 6.
Kjartansson (2002), pp. 213–215.
- 7.
Kjartansson (2002), pp. 275–283.
- 8.
Guðmundsdóttir and Guðmundsson (2008), pp. 23–24.
- 9.
Kjartansson (2002), p. 281.
- 10.
Zweigert and Kötz (1998), p. 64.
- 11.
Zweigert and Kötz (1998), p. 285.
- 12.
Malmström (1969), pp. 147–8.
- 13.
Bernitz (2007), pp. 18–19.
- 14.
Zweigert and Kötz (1998), p. 68.
- 15.
Bernitz (2007), p. 15.
- 16.
Bernitz (2007), p. 17.
- 17.
Bernitz (2007), pp. 17–18.
- 18.
Zweigert and Kötz (1998), p. 72.
- 19.
Zweigert and Kötz (1998), p. 67.
- 20.
Bernitz (2007), p. 17.
- 21.
Smits (2007), pp. 1–2.
- 22.
Cotterrell (2008), p. 5.
- 23.
Cotterrell (2008), p. 5.
- 24.
Bernitz (2007), p. 17.
- 25.
Smits (2007), pp. 2–3.
- 26.
The reasoning can be found on the website of the Icelandic Parliament: http://www.althingi.is/ (our translation).
- 27.
Hirschl (2011), p. 451.
- 28.
Hirschl (2011), pp. 450–451.
- 29.
Helgadóttir (2006), p. 1.
- 30.
Helgadóttir (2006), p. 250.
- 31.
Helgadóttir (2006), p. 1.
- 32.
See, for example, Icelandic Supreme Court decisions in case numbers 499/2002, 549/2002, 220/2005, 600/2011 and 464/2012, accessible in Icelandic language on the court's website: http://haestirettur.is/.
- 33.
Smits (2007), p. 11.
- 34.
These numbers are based on information obtained from the official website of the Icelandic Supreme Court: http://haestirettur.is/.
- 35.
Zweigert and Kötz (1998), p. 284.
- 36.
Helgadóttir (2006), pp. 99–101 and p. 250.
- 37.
See English translation of The Story of Burnt Njal (i. Brennu-Njálssaga) at http://sagadb.org/.
- 38.
Magnússon (2011), p. 182.
- 39.
See information on the website “The Law school tuition bubble”: http://lawschooltuitionbubble.wordpress.com/.
- 40.
See websites of the Bar Association of Iceland : http://www.lmfi.is/.
Denmark http://www.advokatsamfundet.dk/Service/English.aspx.
Finland http://www.asianajajaliitto.fi/english.
Norway http://www.advokatforeningen.no/_/funksjonsmeny/English/.
Sweden http://www.advokatsamfundet.se/Advokatsamfundet-engelska/Home/.
United States: http://www.americanbar.org/aba.html.
California http://www.calbar.ca.gov/.
New York http://www.nysba.org/.
Massachusetts http://www.massbar.org/for-the-public/need-a-lawyer.
Wisconsin http://www.wisbar.org/Pages/default.aspx.
- 41.
See Dolva (2005), pp. 26–27.
- 42.
See American Bar Association 1992. Report of The task force on Law schools and the Profession. Legal Education and professional development, p. 15. http://www.americanbar.org/.
- 43.
Hirschl (2011), p. 450.
- 44.
Tate (1995), pp. 27–37.
- 45.
Hirschl (2011), p. 468.
- 46.
See judgment of the Icelandic Supreme court in case numbers 604/2010, 30/2011 and 155/2011. Available in Icelandic on the court‘s website: http://haestirettur.is/.
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Websites of Bar Associations
California: http://www.calbar.ca.gov/
Denmark: http://www.advokatsamfundet.dk/Service/English.aspx
Iceland: http://www.lmfi.is/
Massachusetts: http://www.massbar.org/for-the-public/need-a-lawyer
New York: http://www.nysba.org/
North Dakota: http://www.sband.org/
Norway: http://www.advokatforeningen.no/_/funksjonsmeny/English/
Sweden: http://www.advokatsamfundet.se/Advokatsamfundet-engelska/Home/
United States: http://www.americanbar.org/aba.html
Wisconsin: http://www.wisbar.org/Pages/default.aspx
Wyoming: http://www.wyomingbar.org/
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Magnússon, S.T., Oddsdóttir, K. (2014). Between America and Europe: Does Geographical Location Affect the Legal Culture of Iceland ?. In: Ervo, L., Nylund, A. (eds) The Future of Civil Litigation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04465-1_4
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