Law is a system of rules a society develops in order to deal with crime, business agreements and social relationships. These rules are enforced by a controlling authority through penalties. Laws can be created by people and governments, and are generally based on cultural traditions and religious books like the Bible or Koran. In modern times, laws are often compiled from judicial decisions rather than written statutes. Some countries, like the United States and Japan, use a civil law system in which judges review existing codes to determine the legal implications of a case. Other countries use a common law system, in which laws are created through a series of individual court cases.
The main purposes of law are to establish standards, maintain order, resolve disputes and protect liberty and rights. The main types of law are criminal, constitutional, administrative and family law. Criminal law aims to prevent people from breaking the rules and punish those who do. Constitutional law is concerned with the rules that govern a government, and includes things like the separation of powers between the different branches of a state or country’s government. Administrative law concerns the rules and processes that regulate and guide the activities of a government agency. Family law is a branch of law that deals with the rights and duties of parents, children and spouses. Medical jurisprudence is the area of law that relates to the roles of medical professionals and their patients, and includes things like physician-patient privilege and malpractice.