What Are Legal Documents?
When considering what constitutes a legal document, it's important to realize that questions of law are always relevant to a cultural context and are open to human interpretation. Certain issues and categories of law are widely accepted, while others are more speculative and are not always legally binding.
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Standardized Contracts
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The most common form of legal documents are standardized ones used in everyday life. When a person buys a house or rents an apartment, a standardized contract is usually used. Standardized contracts are usually considered legally binding documents without question.
National Constitutions
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National constitutions lay down the basic laws of the land. Conservative lawyers and jurists tend to take a literal view of constitutional law, while more liberal and relativist lawyers consider constitutions "living documents" that should be interpreted loosely. Postmodernists consider civil rights law to be in a constant state of flux, depending on the prevailing mores and worldviews.
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Handwritten Notes
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If a handwritten contract is dated and signed by both parties and a witness, few would contest that it is a valid legal document. Half of the U.S. states recognize a handwritten will as legal if the person was of sound mind when the will was written. However, if a person wants more assurance, a standardized will signed with a witness is preferred.
Published and Saved Material
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Many countries consider any published and saved material fixed in a "tangible form" to be protected by copyright law. Even a printed version of text or a copy on your hard drive may be considered a tangible form. However, if a person wants to sue another party for copyright infringement, it is difficult to do so without an officially registered copyright, trademark or patent.
Scriptural Texts
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In many cultures and countries, scriptural texts are considered legal documents. Islamic Sharia law, for example, is based on scripture in the Koran. The Ten Commandments are considered to be an authoritative legal document to many people. Many consider spiritual covenants to be of a higher authority and importance than secular ones. Early Christians, for example, considered that the divinely ordained right to free speech supersedes any human governmental law, according to Book of Acts.
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