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Simple English definitions for legal terms
civil law
Read a random definition: acta diurna
A quick definition of civil law:
Civil law is a type of law that deals with the rights and duties of people and their relationships with each other. It covers things like family issues, contracts, and trusts. It's different from criminal law, which deals with crimes, and administrative law, which deals with government rules. Some countries also use civil law as a legal system, which means they have a set of rules written down in codes that judges use to make decisions. This system started a long time ago with the rediscovery of Roman Law and is still used in many countries today.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Civil law is a type of law that deals with the rights and duties of individuals and legal entities, such as corporations. It regulates legal relations between private individuals, rather than criminal or administrative matters. Civil law can also refer to a legal system based on written laws and codes, rather than judicial decisions.
Examples of civil law include:
- Family law: This area of civil law deals with matters such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and adoption.
- Contracts: Civil law governs the formation, performance, and enforcement of contracts between individuals or businesses.
- Torts: This area of civil law deals with harm caused by one person to another, such as personal injury or property damage.
- Trusts: Civil law governs the creation and administration of trusts, which are legal arrangements for managing assets.
These examples illustrate how civil law regulates the legal relationships between individuals and entities. For example, family law determines the legal rights and obligations of spouses and parents, while contract law ensures that agreements between parties are legally binding and enforceable. Torts law provides a means for individuals to seek compensation for harm caused by others, and trust law allows for the management and protection of assets.