The Basics of Civil Law

There are two major segments of law that house all the different kinds of cases possible. These two areas of law are criminal law and civil law. The distinction between the two areas of law is important, because depending upon whether a case is civil or criminal there will be different laws applied, different rules put into effect, and different consequences to be administered. These two areas of law have been put into practice to satisfy two entirely different social needs. Civil law is utilized to solve disputes between one citizen and another, while criminal law has been put into place to solve disputes between the individual and the state. An individual should be able to click here and determine what area of law any law firm specializes in. Here, we will discuss the basic tenants of civil law.

Basics

In its simplest terms, civil law means law that doesn't deal with criminals. This area of the law is designed to deal with disputes between individuals and organizations where the end goal is to receive compensation for the person who believes that they have been wronged. Be aware that individuals who can be sued include both the traditional human definition and "legal persons," which includes corporations and not-for-profit organizations. The ultimate goal of civil law can be considered to be dispute resolution rather than the distribution of punishment that might be considered the goal of criminal law.

Penalty

The goal of civil law is to attempt to right a wrong, fulfill the obligations that parties have previously agreed to, or settle a disagreement. If one party believes that they have been wronged by another, it is the goal of civil law to determine if an actual wrong has been done, and if it has, to set that wrong right. Click here to learn about possible penalties. At the conclusion of a civil law case, the person who is held at fault for the damage that has been done will be required to pay out a sum of money to resolve the damage, or required to cease in their behavior to prevent more damage from occurring.