What Is Law?

What Is Law?

Law is a set of rules that are created and enforced by social or governmental institutions to control behaviour. This body of rules can be based on custom, a written code, or the decisions and rulings of a judge. Law also refers to a system of justice and the profession of lawyers and judges, which are concerned with advising people on legal matters and representing them in courts.

The precise definition of Law is a subject of much debate, as is the nature and purpose of law itself. Some believe that law is simply power, a way for a sovereign to direct the lives of his subjects through rules that are often arbitrary and unjust, yet backed by the threat of force. Other theories of law attempt to explain the origin and evolution of laws through the history of different civilizations, focusing on changes in attitudes and the reasons for these changes.

Some of the main areas of law are torts (the compensation for damage to persons and property), labour law (which regulates a tripartite industrial relationship between worker, employer and trade union), criminal law, administrative law, and civil procedure and evidence law. These fields cover a wide variety of issues, but all have the common aim of keeping society in order and preventing social unrest.

One important principle underlying the concept of Law is the idea that all citizens should be equal in the eyes of the law. This principle is the foundation of many democratic systems, where laws are enacted and enforced by elected representatives.

In practice, however, the application of this principle is far from straightforward. For example, many members of the judicial and executive branches of a country’s government have considerable discretion over how to interpret laws. Moreover, the responsibilities of some government agencies, such as police and the military, are so great that they have far-reaching effects on the everyday lives of citizens.

This explains why the concept of Law is so difficult to define, and why the study of law is such an exciting and challenging area of research. It is also why careers in law are so popular.

This article is intended to give an overview of the field, but there are many other articles that deal with particular aspects of Law in more depth. For instance, a law student may choose to write an in-depth article on the effect of recent legislative changes in an area of Law. These types of articles can be found in specialist journals. In such cases the language will be more technical and the article may make an opinion on controversial issues in law. This is in contrast to a journal that publishes articles aimed at a general readership, such as a popular magazine or newspaper. The latter tends to be less political in nature. This is because the readers of such magazines have a more general interest in law and will not necessarily be interested in commenting on any particular controversial changes in the law.