Jurisprudence
“Law is the command of the sovereign, backed by a sanction.” — John Austin, The Province of Jurisprudence Determined (1832)
Free, exam-ready Jurisprudence notes for LL.B. — concise topic notes, comparison charts, landmark cases and solved IRAC problems. Pick any topic below.
Unit I — Nature of Jurisprudence & Schools of Legal Thought
- Meaning, Nature, Scope & Value of Jurisprudence
- Natural Law School
- Imperative / Analytical Theory — Austin, Hart & Kelsen
- Legal Realism (American & Scandinavian)
- Historical School — Savigny & Maine
- Sociological School — Ihering, Ehrlich & Pound
- The Schools of Jurisprudence — a Combined Map
- Definition of Law & the Difficulty in Defining Law
Unit II — Functions of Law, Justice, Punishment & Administration of Justice
- Functions and Purpose of Law
- Questions of Law, Fact and Discretion
- Justice and its Kinds
- Civil & Criminal Administration of Justice
- Theories of Punishment
- Primary & Secondary Functions of the Court
- Law and Morality
Unit III — Sources of Law — Legislation, Precedent & Custom
- Sources of Law — an Overview
- Legislation — Supreme, Subordinate, Delegated & Codification
- Precedent — Ratio Decidendi, Obiter Dicta & Binding Force
- Custom — Kinds & Essentials of a Valid Custom
- Interpretation of Enacted Law
Unit IV — Legal Concepts — Rights, Possession, Ownership & Personality
- Legal Rights & Duties — Concept, Elements & Kinds
- Hohfeld’s Analysis of Jural Relations
- Possession — Corpus, Animus & Kinds
- Ownership — Meaning, Kinds, Property & Ownership vs Possession
- Legal Personality — Natural & Legal Persons; Corporate Personality
Unit V — Liability, Wrongful Act, Negligence & Obligation
- Liability — Meaning, Conditions & Causation
- Mens Rea, Intention, Motive, Malice & the ‘Act’
- Negligence — Theories, Subjective & Objective
- Strict Liability
- Vicarious Liability
- Obligation — Nature, Kinds & Sources
- Damnum Sine Injuria & Injuria Sine Damno
- Corporate Criminal Liability
- Substantive Law & Procedural Law
✏️ Practice
Download the Jurisprudence Complete Bundle + Question Bank — ₹199 — the full study notes plus a Question Bank of model answers (essays + problems) for every previously-asked KSLU question, in one printable PDF for all 5 units.
🆓 Free sample: Download Unit 1 (free PDF)