civillaw

Civil law is a legal tradition and system that governs private relationships between individuals and organizations. It covers areas such as contracts, torts or delicts, property, family, and succession. In civil law jurisdictions, the law is primarily codified in comprehensive statutes and codes, with the civil code often serving as the central source. Judges apply these codes and interpret statutes, while case law tends to play a secondary role.

Origins trace to Roman law and the later European codifications. The modern form was significantly shaped by the Napoleonic Code of 1804, and by subsequent codes in countries such as Germany, Italy, and Spain. Through colonization, commerce, and reform, civil law spread to many regions, including much of Europe, Latin America, parts of Africa and Asia. Today many jurisdictions identify as civil law jurisdictions or as mixed systems that incorporate civil-law elements.

Civil law contrasts with common law, where judge-made precedent and extensive case law are central sources of law. In civil law, written statutes and general principles guide private-law claims, with contracts, obligations, property, family, and succession typically organized within codes. Some areas of public or administrative law may have separate, codified frameworks, but the defining feature is reliance on codified texts over judicial precedent.

In contemporary practice, civil law remains the dominant tradition in numerous countries and regions. It aims for systematic, predictable rules governing private relationships, while often allowing for doctrinal interpretation to address specific cases within the codes.