The law guides and influences every aspect of our lives and the decisions we make. The laws we have created as a society work in tandem with social rules to keep us living together in a civilised existence.
Some laws, such as those that govern health and safety, are there to protect us in our jobs, while others control us in our leisure pursuits, for instance the banning of drinking alcohol in sight of a football pitch, and all are designed to stop society descending into lawless chaos.
What is ‘law’?
The law is a set of rules that are enforceable by the courts and put in place to oversee the relationship between the state, its citizens and one another.
We also live our lives by other rules, such as social conventions and rules of games or sports we play, but obviously the sanctions of breaking such rules are not as severe as breaking those rules administered in law.
What are the three classifications of law?
There are three classifications of UK law, they are:
- Private and public law – while private law deals with the rights and duties of individuals towards each other, public law refers to the relationship between the state and its citizens and can be subdivided into three sections:
- Constitutional law lays down the duty and powers of the states alongside the rights of its citizens.
- Administrative law governs the administration and regulation of government agencies.
- Criminal law is the system of rules designed to keep the public safe and deter wrongful conduct.
- Criminal and civil law – legal rules are divided into two categories, criminal and civil, and here’s how they differ:
- Criminal law is concerned with forbidding certain types of conduct and punishing those who break these laws, usually by prosecution at Crown Court. To be found guilty, the verdict must be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
- Civil law looks at the private rights and obligations of individuals and the obligations of one individual to another. Prosecutions are made at civil court and a guilty verdict can be given on the balance of probabilities.
- Common law and equity – The distinction between these two systems is rooted in history, all the way back to the inception of English law with the arrival of the Normans in 1066, and can only be fully understood by examining these origins.
What is liability law?
Legal liability is concerned with both civil and criminal law and a person is legally liable when they are financially or legally responsible for something.
Civil liability, for instance, covers the rights and responsibilities between individuals, while contractual liability comes into force when two or more persons enter into a legally enforceable contract with each other.
Contractual liability covers everything from contracts between employers and employees to all types of buying, selling and business transactions.
Who practices law?
The practice of law, broadly speaking, involves legal professionals, such as lawyers, barristers, solicitors, or civil law notaries, giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents, and representing clients in court proceedings and legal negotiations.
