MAIN AREAS FOR IMPROVING TEACHING OF “INHERITANCE LAW” ACADEMIC SUBJECT

Abstract

The article is focused on improving the teaching of “Inheritance Law” academic subject. The author of the paper has outlined and analyzed two areas for improving the teaching of this subject. The methodological area is conditioned by the peculiarities of inheritance law as an element of the system of private law and determines the principles, which are the basis for the teaching of the relevant academic subject: a) inheritance law goes beyond ordinary ideas about the legal institute according to its intended purpose within the system of civil norms, as well as according to the volume of legal material and actually is the sub-branch of civil law; b) the priority of inheritance under a will over intestacy: the will of a person is primary, and the role of the will is to regulate civil legal relations, which essentially replaces the law; c) inheritance agreement does not regulate hereditary legal relations, it is an agreement in case of a death, but not an agreement for estate of decedent. The norms of Chapter 90 of the Civil Code of Ukraine make up the institution of obligatory law, but not inheritance law. That is the reason why it is inappropriate to study the inheritance agreement within the “Inheritance Law” academic course. The practical area is related to the educational process in view of its practical orientation. The problem of a significant gap between legal education and law-enforcement activities is offered to be solved by applying such means of ensuring the practical orientation of teaching “Inheritance Law” academic subject: a) introduction of a case method of training; b) creation of legal clinics in higher educational institutions and active involvement of higher education seekers to work in such clinics; c) involvement of representatives of legal communities into the educational process in the form of binary study session.