Legal precedent as source of law

The article considers the place and role of legal precedent as a source of law in the Anglo-Saxon and Roman-German legal systems. An extensive terminology is provided to define concepts such as legal precedent and convergence of legal systems. The nature and origin of the precedent as a source of law in the general legal system is described. Comparative legal analysis of the case law of England and the United States of America. The features that distinguish the legal precedent from other sources of law are presented, the points of view of Russian legal scholars who have expressed the use in Russia of judicial precedent as an unofficial source of law are discussed, and the pros and cons are explained, that theoretically arise from such application.