General frameworks of Lithuanian law

Abstract

This section of the book is devoted to the presentation of a basic temporal (diachronic) and systematic (synchronic) overview of the legal system of Lithuania. Two dimensions are covered from the diachronic perspective. The first one is a retrospective or historical overview of the historical development of Lithuanian law from the medieval period, covering the monumental Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, to the major law-related events of contemporary Lithuania. The second diachronic perspective is a prospective overview in which the perspectives of the future development of Lithuanian law in the major legal fields (such as constitutional, labor, civil, procedural, and so forth) are presented and analyzed. The synchronic overview of Lithuanian law also proceeds in two dimensions. The first one is devoted to the presentation of the system of law “from inside” by surveying the basic aspects of the system of Lithuanian courts and some other institutions/officials (prosecutors, attorneys, notaries, and bailiffs) that play important roles in the implementation of justice. The second one focuses more on the influences to the system “from outside,” although with a hybrid angle. First, the Lithuanian legal system is positioned in the larger domains of international law and the law of the European Union. Subsequently, specific attention is paid to the insurance of state security through/by the system of law, where not only the dangers of an internal (focus to the system of internal affairs and police) but also those of an external (focus to the system of national defense) nature are covered.