Civil law is a body of rules that defines and protects the private rights of citizens, offers legal remedies that may be sought in a dispute, and covers areas of law such as contracts, torts, property and Family Law. Civil law is derived from the laws of ancient Rome which used doctrines to develop a code that determined how legal issues would be decided.
Emperor Justinian I ruled ancient Rome from 527 A.D. to 565 A.D. One of his lasting legacies is his rewriting of Roman law in “Corpus Juris Civilis,” (“Body of Civil Law”) which still serves as a basis for modern civil law systems worldwide.
Definition of Civil Law
- Noun. The body of laws that govern ordinary private matters, separate from laws presiding over criminal, military, or political matters.
- Noun. The body of law that governs private or civil rights providing redress for wrongs by compensating the person or entity that has been wronged rather than punishing the wrongdoer.
Lais Figueiredo - Advogada (Attorney at Law) 