Advantages of Precedent

Certainty:

• The precedent system encourages consistency, as like cases are decided alike (stare decisis). This means that the system is predictable, which means that people can plan ahead with reasonable confidence that they are not breaking the law

Flexibility:

• Judges can distinguish cases based on their facts
• The Practice Statement allows the law to develop and adapt, thus keeping up with modern times
• The precedent system has enabled entire areas of law to grow e.g contract and tort law
• Objectivity - the system of precedent prevents judges from exercising personal prejudice, therefore making the courts' decisions more transparent

Legal Growth:

• New laws can be created to deal with difficult and new legal dilemmas e.g in Airedale NHS Trust v Bland (1993) where the question was whether a life support machine should be switched off if a person is in a persistent vegetative state and Re A (2000) where the question was whether or not Siamese twins should be separated in an operation which is recommended by the hospital, but has been clearly opposed by the patient.