zivilrechtlich

Zivilrechtlich is an adjective used to describe matters related to civil or private law. It concerns legal relationships between private individuals and organizations, rather than matters involving the state. In German-speaking legal language, zivilrechtlich distinguishes private-law issues from strafrechtlich (criminal law) and öffentliches Recht (public law). The term is commonly found in references to claims, duties, or procedures that arise in private-law contexts.

In Germany, civil law is largely codified in the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB), with additional rules in specialized codes such as the Handelsgesetzbuch (HGB) for commercial matters. Civil-law matters are typically processed in civil courts under the Zivilprozessordnung (ZPO). Jurists use zivilrechtlich to label aspects of private law, including contract law, tort liability, property rights, family law, and inheritance.

Usage and terminology often appear in phrases like zivilrechtliche Ansprüche, zivilrechtliche Haftung, or zivilrechtliche Verfahren, referring to private-law claims, liability, and litigation. The term serves to differentiate private-law issues from public-law or criminal-law topics, and it is commonly employed in legal writing, court rulings, and professional practice.

Internationally, zivilrechtlich corresponds to private law in civil-law jurisdictions, which governs relationships between private parties. In common-law systems, analogous concepts would be described as private law or civil claims, focusing on non-criminal disputes between individuals or organizations. The adjective thus signals the legal domain of private, rather than public or penal, regulation.