Law is a set of rules that governs behaviour and can be enforced by a power such as police or courts. It is a complex subject, encompassing many different areas of legal practice, such as criminal, labour or family law. The discipline also covers a range of laws governing the interactions between people and between nations, such as international law.
Law serves a number of important functions, the most important of which are establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. For more on the role of law in society, see history of law; legal philosophy; legal theory; and jurisprudence.
The law is a social construct, meaning that it depends on a number of factors in order to be created and maintained. These include the social needs and wants of a society, the values and principles of a community, and the way people think about right and wrong. These ideas are reflected in the concept of natural law, as articulated by philosophers such as Hans Kelsen and Roscoe Pound.
A common definition of the law is that it is a system of rules that defines what a person can or cannot do and sets out the consequences of breaking them. The laws of a country are usually based on a constitution for the overall framework and further laws that provide more detail. Generally, the rules are agreed upon by a majority of the population and are enforceable by means of penalties.
While some countries use a constitution as their basis for the law, others, such as the United States, employ a common law system where judges interpret statutes and case law. Other countries, such as Japan, have civil law systems based on written codes that judges must follow in order to reach their decisions.
Laws are typically written by a legislature, which is the group of people who make up a national parliament. Other laws can be drafted by government agencies or by individuals, such as private citizens or corporations. These may be regulatory laws, such as environmental laws, or they could be laws aimed at improving public health, such as anti-discrimination laws.
The legal system varies greatly between countries, and the rules of law are often influenced by culture, religion and tradition. For example, a law might be created in accordance with the principles of a certain religion or based on a sacred text such as the Vedas, Bible or Koran. Generally, the laws of a culture are widely trusted because they have been passed down from generation to generation and are usually considered just.
A lawyer is a professional who studies and argues the rules of law. They are known in the US as attorneys and in the UK as solicitors or barristers. They can be transactional lawyers who work on contracts and other business issues or litigators who defend clients in court. A law student or graduate can become a legal practitioner in either field.