Law is a set of rules that a community or nation develops in order to deal with things like crime, business agreements and social relationships. It is usually enforced by a controlling authority through penalties such as fines or jail time. It can also refer to the body of laws, including a constitution or treaty, that governs a country or region.
A legal system is made up of the laws, constitution and judicial procedures that determine how a country is governed. The rules that make up a legal system vary from one place to another. The United States, for example, has a common law system that relies on judicial decisions made in the course of a case rather than on written statutes, while Japan uses a civil law system.
Some systems of law are based on religious precepts, while others are derived from cultural traditions and family and social habits. Many cultures have a strong emphasis on religion, and books such as the Bible or Koran often serve as a source of law. Other sources of law include physics, the scientific method and logical reasoning.
While there are many different kinds of law, they all have four basic purposes: establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. A legal system’s ability to meet these objectives depends on its fundamental structures, which are determined by culture, the structure of the government and the values and beliefs of a society.
In most countries today, laws are voted on and made by groups of politicians in legislatures that are elected (chosen) by the people. These politicians create laws that govern how society should operate and then regulate specific activities. A country’s constitution provides an overall framework for its legal system, while additional laws cover particular issues of concern.
A law may govern anything from land ownership to a person’s right to privacy. The law also includes intellectual property, which protects the rights of creators of artistic work, such as music, movies and novels. Other areas of law involve the rights of businesses, such as trademarks and trade secrets; business law covers things like contracts, corporations and trusts; and criminal law, which deals with punishments for breaking a rule.
A professional who studies and argues the law is known as a lawyer, jurist or attorney. A lawyer can be transactional, writing up contracts and dealing with corporate affairs, or a litigator, who defends criminals and clients in court. A legal system’s strength is in the way it reflects core principles, such as equality and justice, and in its ability to deal with changing social conditions. A democracy’s laws will reflect the beliefs and aspirations of its citizens, while a totalitarian regime’s laws will be shaped by the dictator’s ideology. The law can also be influenced by social movements, such as those supporting freedom of speech and free markets. It can also be shaped by forces beyond its control, such as globalization and terrorism.