Introduction to the Legal System of Papua New Guinea (Melanesia Law Series)

147 pp. The series of textbooks on the "Laws of Papua New Guinea" is designed specifically for the undergraduate students studying courses for the LL.B. degree. The textbooks will also prove useful to students studying for a Diploma program in law, and the Introduction to the Legal System of PNG text, in particular for the enrichment of all undergraduates. Topics encompassed in the text include the nature and function of law, establishment of the judiciary, jurisdictions of the courts and regulation of the legal profession. Although the system of Papua New Guinea law is fashioned in the common law tradition, the Constitution, Goal 5, directs that the customary law system should play an important role in the legal system, and the "Papua New Guinean Way" must be central in its development. Hence the single most important issue is "developing the Underlying Law", i.e., the Papua New Guinea common law. The book gives some insight into the problems in realising this goal.