Law is the system of rules enforced by a government, and the judicial system that interprets and applies them. Its core functions are establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberties and rights. In modern societies, it is also often used to regulate businesses and manage public utilities like water, gas or electricity.
There are numerous branches of law, but it is typically divided into three categories: civil law, criminal law and administrative law. Civil law deals with disputes between citizens, and it includes fields such as tort law (damages caused by negligence) or defamation. Criminal law, on the other hand, covers conduct that threatens public safety or social stability and it punishes offenders by imprisonment or fines. Administrative law concerns the regulations that govern how governments run their departments and agencies, such as taxation laws or banking regulations.
Each country has its own distinct legal system. In countries that are constitutional democracies, the laws are created and enforced by elected representatives who are accountable to their constituents. In authoritarian countries, the law is dominated by the military, security services or bureaucracy. The political landscape varies from nation to nation, and there are often revolts against existing legal authority in many parts of the world.
Law has a peculiar complexity from a methodological standpoint, because it is not just a descriptive or causal statement, but also a prescriptive one. For example, it tells people how they should behave or what they ought to require from others. This makes it different from other sciences such as natural science or even sociology, which have a descriptive or causal basis.
There is a wealth of literature on law, and it is an important subject for academics and students. However, it is also a very applied discipline, and lawyers work with real people in the field of interpreting, applying and enforcing laws to secure justice and protect private and public interests.
The practice of law is regulated by governments and independent governing bodies such as bar associations, bar councils or law societies. Lawyers are required to undergo rigorous educational qualifications and a period of training before being admitted to the bar or called to the bench. They are also required to keep up to date with developments in law and society. There is an ongoing debate about how much politics should influence judges, and the role of law in a democracy. Modern legal theories are informed by a variety of disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology and sociology. In addition, there are substantial differences in the way laws are interpreted and applied across countries. Some have a strong continental European tradition, whilst others have an indigenous or common law tradition, and many have more than one legal system in operation.