Law is a set of rules that form a framework to ensure a peaceful society and can be enforced by the state with sanctions if the rules are broken. A legal system is necessary to guarantee a just result when disputes occur between citizens or between private parties. It ensures human rights and contracts as well as property, property titles and procedural rights.
The word “law” is derived from the Old Norse lag, which means “laying order” or “setting to a fixed tune.” A law is a rule made by an authority that citizens must obey or face punishment. For example, stealing is against the law and you can be fined or even put in jail if you break this law.
Different people have different views on what the law should be, and many books containing various ideas about law have been written. One definition of law, from John Austin, is that it is a collection of commands, backed by the threat of sanction, from a superior or sovereign that people have a habit of obeying. Other ideas about the nature of law include those of Jeremy Bentham and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
The legal system differs from nation to nation and reflects the country’s political landscape. For instance, the US and UK legal systems are based on common law while other nations have civil law systems. The civil law system is based on the principles of precedent and equity (fairness), whereas the common law system is based on the principle that judges make their decisions independent of previous cases.
