SVEUČILIŠTE/UNIVERZITET „VITEZ“ VITEZ

PRAVNI FAKULTET VITEZ

STUDIJ I CIKLUSA; GODINA STUDIJA: I; CIKLUS: I
SMJER: OPĆE PRAVO
 
 
 

SABINA TRAKO

ENGLESKI JEZIK

SEMINARSKI RAD

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Travnik,  2020.
 
 SVEUČILIŠTE/UNIVERZITET „VITEZ“ VITEZ 
PRAVNI FAKULTET VITEZ 
STUDIJ I CIKLUSA; GODINA STUDIJA: I; CIKLUS: I 
SMJER: OPĆE PRAVO 
  
  
PRAVNA NORMA- The legal norms and their types 
SEMINARSKI RAD 
  
IZJAVA: Ja, Sabina Trako, student  Sveučilišta/Univerziteta “Vitez“ Vitez, Indeks broj:
051/18 - REFRR odgovorno i uz moralnu i akademsku odgovornost izjavljujem da sam ovaj
rad izradila potpuno samostalno uz korištenje citirane literature i pomoć profesora, odnosno
asistenta.   
  
  
Predmet: Engleski jezik 
Profesor: prof. Vesna Biljaka 
Student: Sabina Trako 
Indeks broj: 110-20/DPOP 
  
  
  
  
Travnik, 2020 
  
 
 
 

 
 
Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................1
Legal form.......................................................................................................................2
Disposition......................................................................................................................2
Sanction..........................................................................................................................3
Classification of legal norms according to the scope and subject od regulation...........4
Classification of norms according to the areas od social life they regulate…………….....4
Classification of norms according to the degree of specification of disposition…………5
The true meaning of legal form………………………………………………………………………………..6
The means od interpretation of a legal norm……………………………………………………………6
Targeted interpretation………………………………………………………………………………………….…7
Systematic interpretation………………………………………………………………………………………7,8
Historical interpretation…………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9
Source………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Introduction 
 
      In this research paper we will explain the concept of legal norm, its elements without
which it could not be a legal norm – the disposition and sanctions. We will also discuss the
types of legal norms and the ways in which we interpret them.  
       The very concept of legal norm is very extensive and complex, but we will explain it so
that it would be understandable to someone who has not encountered the very subject of
law, more precisely the concept of legal norm, and its types of interpretation. The main literary
sources used as guidance throughout this paper will
be Professor Rizvanović’s “Poslovno pravo” (2013) and various online sources.  
 

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Legal Norm  
        "Legal norms are a rule of conducts for people in a society protected by the
state government and officials. These are the rules which are set to be obeyed by all. This
means that the people  in a country must adhere to these rules and have to
act accordingly.   If they are to refuse to do so,  the state forces them by the means  of
physical coercion.” (cited from Rizvanović, 2013) Every legal norm has its two basic
elements: disposition and sanction. 
 
Disposition 
Disposition is the part of the legal norm which contains the rule of
conduct. Disposition instructs us on what should be done in a given situation. It is the
normative part of the legal norm, but the disposition itself is not yet a legal norm. It
will only become such when a sanction is added to it.  A code of conduct, a desirable rule of
conduct contained in a disposition, may be expressed differently as an order, a prohibition,
and an authority.  
Example: 
Citizens are obliged to pay taxes on property. (Disposition order) 
It is prohibited to drive a car without a driver's license. (Prohibitive disposition) 
Citizens are free to manage their own property. (Disposition authority) 
Some authors classify the dispositions according to the criteria by which legal norms
are classified. Such classifications are also justified, because disposition is an essential part of
the legal norm, it is the primary rule of conduct. According to this classification, dispositions
can be defined and relatively undefined. According to this criterion, the dispositions can be
divided onto: 
a. Mandatory 
b. Dispositive 
c. Alternative 
d. Private 
e. With the use of standard support. 
The definition of each of these dispositions is equal to the definition of the corresponding
legal norm. 
 

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 Sanction 
 Sanction is a secondary rule of conduct. It can be positive or negative, depending on
how the society assesses the subject's action in relation to the rule of conduct from the
disposition. The sanction is a part of the norm that contains a rule on the conduct of the one
who did not act according to the disposition, who violated the disposition and the conduct of
the one who is called to take the estimated measure against the offender.  The
state authority is always one of the subjects of the relationship created by the sanction, so the
rule on punishment is always formed so that it can ultimately be executed by the use
of coercion. In order for the sanction not to remain unenforced, another sanction is
estimated against the state authority if it does not enforce the first sanction.  
The second sanction is a legal consequence of the violation of the first. Sanctions
are issued according to the offenses to which they apply.  We differentiate criminal - legal
offenses (criminal acts) - a sanction is a punishment that consists of taking away
a person’s goods, honor, freedom, property and life.  The principle of legality - is being
adopted for criminal offenses. This means that only a human act which is deemed as a
criminal offense by the law can be considered a criminal offense and that only
punishment fit for that act can be imposed by the law. 
 For civil - legal offenses, the sanction is compensation for property damage. It refers to the
property of the person who violated the disposition. Administrative offenses are actions less
dangerous to the public interest. A sanction is an administrative penalty consisting of
the property confiscation, freedom or honor, but to a lesser extent than which is the case with
a criminal offense. The principle of legality also applies to administrative offenses. 
 Disciplinary measures are sanctions for a disciplinary violation. They are issued against
workers who do not perform their work as determined by the rules of labor. Sanctions can be: 
a. Specific 
b. Relatively undetermined 
c. Mandatory 
d. Dispositive 
e. Alternative 
f. Private 
g. Sanctions with the use of legal standard support 

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Classification of legal norms  

Classification of legal norms according to the scope and subject of regulation  

Based on whether the legal norm refers to an indefinite number of cases of the same type
or whether it regulates one specific relation, we can classify it onto general and individual
legal norm. General or concrete norms refer to all subjects who find themselves or can find
themselves in a situation predicted by the hypothesis of the disposition of that norm. General
norms regulate a specific type of relation. Individual norms refer to one particular case; they
concern one person whose identity is known. The general norms are found in the general acts,
and the individual ones in the individual acts (administrative act). 
 Example:  
"Persons who have property are obliged to pay taxes on property." (General norm) 
  “K.S. is obliged to pay income tax in total of 1. 000 BAM." (Individual norm) 

Classification of norms according to the areas of social life they regulate  

Norms are classified in accordance to which area of social life they regulate, i.e. to which
branch of law they belong:  
1. Civil law 
2. Criminal law  
3. Administrative law 
4. Constitutional law 
Norms of materiality regulate the relation between people in society and are found in
various types of law. 
 Procedural norms determine on how the one who should act according to the norm
will indeed act, first, a state official. These are found in the regulations of the procedures. 
 

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Classification of norms according to the degree of specification of disposition 
When it comes to mandatory norms, the dispositions are precisely specified. The subject
can behave only as stated in the clearly formulated rule of conduct, otherwise a sanction
will take place. They are also called absolutely definite and categorical.  Alternative norms
contain two or more rules of conduct, from which the subject to whom the norm is addressed
can choose which one they want. No matter the rule contained in that norm, that precise rule
is there to be followed. It is left to the subject, therefore, to choose one of these rules of
conduct. They have a complete freedom concerning their choice. Thus, alternative norms
belong to the type of relatively undefined legal norms, which give the subject the freedom to
choose one rule from that norm and to act according to it. 
E.g. "The students can take oral or written exams, or both oral and written exams.” 
Dispositive norms contain a rule of conduct, but at the same time it leaves it to the subjects
to resolve their relations as they see fit – to create a rule of conduct as they wish within the
legal order. Only if the recipient (the subject to whom the norm is addressed) do not want to
determine for themselves what rights and obligations will arise from a specific relationship,
the rule of conduct from the legal norm will be applied. The rules of conduct contained in the
dispositive norm determine how they will behave only if the parties themselves do not do so.
Therefore, they are also called interchangeable. 
E.g. "The seller is obliged to deliver goods of medium quality, unless agreed otherwise.
The obligation of the insurance company is to compensate the damage,  i.e. to pay the agreed
amount  takes place the  very next day from the day
of insurance premium  payment." Dispositional norms are typical for contract obligations. 
In terms of wording, they usually contain the sentence: "unless agreed otherwise." 
Private or discrete norms give the state officials discretionary power. The freedom of
the state officials in the exercise of discretionary powers is limited not only by the
circumstances but also by the purpose of its constitution. In no case, whatsoever, is it to be
used, solely, in the interests of the officials who form the state body. Powers from
private norms are exercised on the basis of and within the regulations. 
Norms with legal standards are issued for those situations in which the rule of conduct, due
to various specific set of circumstances, cannot be appointed categorically. The standard
behavior is the one which is typical, which, under the same given conditions, most often

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happens in the given environment and at that time. Such standards are e.g. an honest man, a
caring host, a good businessman, amenability, etc. 

The true meaning of a legal norm 

The task of interpreting a legal norm is not determined by the linguistics but its true
meaning, and it is not always identical with the linguistic one. 
An interpretation in relation to the subject is the one which takes one of the possible
meanings of linguistics as the true meaning, i.e. the only possible linguistic meaning – if only
one such meaning is possible. 
Free interpretation is an interpretation in which the interpreter is not bound by any
linguistic meaning of the norm, but is free to give the meaning they deems suitable, regardless
of the fact that it is not linguistically possible. 
Subjective interpretation tends to reveal the meaning that the creator wanted to ascribe to
it, essentially, the meaning which it had for its creator when they coined it or what it means
for them at the time of interpretation. 
Objective interpretation seeks to establish the meaning contained in the words used as such
(narrow understanding); the meaning that would be ascribed to it by a reasonable subject in
order to best serve the society in which it exists and for which it was coined for (broader
understanding). 
Static interpretation ascribes the meaning to a legal norm, the one it had at the time of
its enactment.  
An evolutionary interpretation happens when the true meaning of a norm is considered to
be the meaning which the norm has at the time of its interpretation. 
The means of interpretation of a legal norm 
 
Linguistic interpretation 
“Linguistic interpretation of a legal norm exists when, by applying the rules of language,
as a means of expression, the text of a legal norm is being analyzed. On the basis of this
analysis, the exact meaning of the legal norm can be obtained." (cited from Rizvanović,
2013) 
 
Logical interpretation 

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  Logical interpretation consists of determining the meaning of a norm using logic, i.e. by
applying the law of logic to the meaning obtained by linguistics and other types of
interpretations. 
In the case of an a fortiori  argument, the reason (ratio) of the norm
is very important, it can be recognized in two related occurrences - and that is the stronger
reason in the second occurrence, which is not explicitly stated by the norm. 
There are two basic layouts of this argument: 
 From lesser to higher (a minori ad maius) - this is an argument which
concludes that the consequences (primarily prohibitions) which the legal
norm applies to something which is less in its intensity also applicable to the same
occurrence when it comes to it being higher in its intensity (if an illegitimate child has
the right to alimony, as does a child born in wedlock). 
 From higher to lesser (a maiori ad minus) - this is an argument which
concludes that the subject to whom the legal norm gives higher rights (the one who can
do more can do less, too) as well as lesser rights and obligations which are included in
the higher ones (e.g. speed of driving - this shows that it is not just a matter of
quantification but the matter of the strength of the reasons for the norm) 
 
Targeted interpretation 
 
A legal norm is always a means to achieve some and someone's goals
(Greek  translit.  télos, lit. "end, 'purpose', or 'goal"), ( Merriam-Webster, 2016), some and
someone's values and interests that the norm sets as purposes in the forced direction of
interpersonal relations. Therefore, of all the possible meanings of a norm, the true meaning is
the one that fully and easily achieves its goal, the reason for its existence. 
Accordingly, the target interpretation should strive for those goals which the society sets at
the very time of the enactment of the norms, regardless of what the actual creators of the norm
wanted to achieve at the time of its the creation. 
 
Systematic interpretation 
 
The procedure by which the meanings of one norm are revealed by either meaningfully
connecting the elements of that norm which are contained in different legal provisions or by

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connecting that norm with other norms from the legal system. The basis of the systemic
interpretation is the fact that each legal norm is, in fact, a part of one large complex with
firmly interconnected parts. 
This method of interpretation is usually a helpful guidance for targeted interpretation
consisting of several rules: 
 Even when it comes to the interpretation, the principle of legality must be respected,
i.e. the meaning of lower legal norms should also be sought in the meanings of higher
legal norms on which the lower ones must be based; 
 The meaning of one norm is filled with the meaning of other norms from the same
legal institution, i.e. norms that regulate the same social relations; 
 Lexical and target meanings of legal norms must be explained by their connection to
the so-called standard definition (e.g. norms which determine what a marriage is, a
public corrections, a movable property, etc.) 
Example: A legal provision establishing the obligation of parents to take care of a person, 
  the rights and interests of their underage children; 
Question: Are the parents obliged to support their adult children if they are still obtaining a
formal education? 
Interpretation: only within relation to another provision which states that the parents are
obligated to take care of their children’s health, life and upbringing as well as their schooling
and professional training, taking into account their abilities, inclinations and desires, can the 
obligation to support the adult child who is in school be concluded. 

Historical interpretation 
 
It is a procedure during which we seek the meaning of a legal norm by examining the
historical circumstances which have preceded the enactment of that norm or
occasion (historical interpretation - occasio  legis), (Gadžo, 2020, pp. 380)  of its enactment.
This interpretation serves as a guidance to targeted interpretation and is applied by comparing
the norm that is being interpreted to the norms which preceded it or to the breafing packs
(drafts, proposals) of the enactment of the norm which is being interpreted, with
parliamentary reports, etc. 
 
 
 
8
 
 

Conclusion 
 
At the beginning of the research paper we have explained what a legal norm is and the
elements of a legal norm. Throughout the main part of the paper we have explained the basis
on which legal norms are classified and which legal norms fall under each given
classification. Everything is explained in a simple language so that it would be
understandable to those encountering the given topic for the first time. The very end of the
research paper explains and describes the interpretation of legal norms, and the ways in which
can be described in greater detail. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

9
 
Source:  
 
Primary Literature:  
 
Rizvanović,E.,
“Poslovno pravo - natjecanje, osnivanje, prestanak  poslovnih subjekata“, 2013,
Sarajevo, Privredna štampa d.o.o. 
 
Secondary Literature: 
Gadžo, S., “Primjena i tumačenje  poreznog  prava: teorijsko-normativne osnove”,
2020,  University of Rijeka   
Merriam-Webster Unabridged, 2016, unabridged.merriam-webster.com /dictionary/telos 
Rizvanović, E.: Hasić,Ene,  “Poslovno pravo“- meticulous notes – not cited  
 
 

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