Civilrettslige

Civilrettslige is a term used in Scandinavian legal language to describe matters relating to civil law, i.e., private law, as opposed to public law. It is used to classify rules, cases, and disputes that concern the rights and duties of private individuals and private organizations rather than the state or public authorities. The concept helps distinguish between private-law relations and public-law matters.

The civilrettslige domain covers a range of areas, including contracts and obligations, property and real rights, family law, inheritance, and company or corporate law. In practice, civilrettslige issues involve questions such as how contracts are formed and enforced, liability for harm (torts or delict), transfers of ownership, leases, and family arrangements like marriage, custody, and wills. Private disputes over these issues are typically resolved through civil or private-law processes, with remedies that may include damages, specific performance, or other private-law remedies.

In Nordic jurisdictions, civilrettslige matters are generally distinguished from offentligrettslige (public-law) concerns, which involve the state and public authorities and include administrative, constitutional, tax, and criminal law. While public-law issues regulate the powers of the state and the relationship between citizens and the state, civilrettslige issues regulate relationships between private parties and private entities. The term is also used in a broader context within civil-law systems to describe the private-law framework governing everyday legal relations, contracts, property, and secure commercial interactions. See also private law, civil law, contract law, property law, family law, and tort law.