The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to law:
Law is the set of rules and principles (laws) by which a society is governed, through enforcement by governmental authorities. Law is also the field that concerns the creation and administration of laws, and includes any and all legal systems.
Nature of law Law can be described as all of the following:
Academic discipline – the body of knowledge given to - or received by - a disciple (student); a branch or sphere of knowledge, or field of study, that an individual has chosen to specialise in. one of the humanities – an academic discipline that studies the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences. System – set of elements (often called 'components' instead) and relationships which are different from relationships of the set or its elements to other elements or sets. part of the legal system – legal scholarship and practice shapes how the law is interpreted and applied in societies
Legal systems Common law Civil law (legal system) Religious law Bahá'í laws Biblical law Canon law Halakha Hindu law Jain law Pāṭimokkha Sharia Traditional Chinese law
Law by source Municipal law Primary authority
Constitutions Basic laws Primary and secondary legislation Executive orders Precedent (Judicial decisions / stare decisis)
Secondary authority
Legal treatise Restatements of the Law (United States)
International law Treaty Customary international law General principles of law Judicial decisions and juristic writings
Branches of law
Substantive law
International law Conflict of laws (Private international law) Public international law Law of the sea International trade law International commercial law International criminal law International labour law International environmental law International human rights law
Public law
Constitutional law Administrative law Criminal law Tax law (revenue law)
Private law
Contract law Tort law
Property law Succession Equity Trusts Family law
Commercial law
Corporate law Competition law Insurance law Insolvency law Intellectual property law
Procedural law
Civil procedure Criminal procedure Law of evidence
Laws by jurisdictional scope International law Supranational law Law of the European Union Treaties of the European Union Regulation (European Union) Directive (European Union) European Union decision European Union legislative procedure Municipal law Federal law (National law) State law Local ordinance
History
Cuneiform law Babylonian law Ancient Greek law Roman law Byzantine law Early Germanic law Legal history of the Catholic Church Jus antiquum
Basic legal concepts Ignorantia juris non excusat Presumption of innocence Presumption (canon law) Treason Rights (Outline) Rule of law
Lists
Sources of law
Municipal case law Lists of case law List of copyright case law List of Judicial Committee of the Privy Council cases List of United Kingdom House of Lords cases List of notable United Kingdom House of Lords cases List of Supreme Court of Canada cases List of United States Supreme Court cases
Municipal legislative instruments List of civil codes List of criminal codes List of government gazettes List of Uniform Acts (United States) List of United States federal legislation
International and supranational law List of treaties List of international environmental agreements Lists of United Nations Security Council resolutions Select list of General Assembly resolutions List of European Union directives List of European Union regulations List of international declarations
International and supranational case law List of International Court of Justice cases International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea List of people indicted in the International Criminal Court Inter-American Court of Human Rights List of European Court of Human Rights judgments List of European Court of Justice rulings
Other List of codes of canon law List of edicts
Legal institutions and jurists
National legal systems List of national legal systems List of national constitutions List of ancient legal codes List of legislatures by country List of current heads of state and government
Courts List of supreme courts by country List of constitutional courts List of courts in England and Wales List of High Courts of India List of international courts List of ad hoc international criminal tribunals
Legal professionals and jurists Lists of supreme court justices List of jurists Lists of law schools List of largest law firms by revenue Historical lists of Privy Counsellors
Legal topics and reference List of law journals List of legal abbreviations List of Latin legal terms List of business law topics List of international public law topics List of international trade topics
External links WorldLII – World Legal Information Institute CommonLII – Commonwealth Legal Information Institute AsianLII – Asian Legal Information Institute AustLII – Australasian Legal Information Institute BAILII – British and Irish Legal Information Institute CanLII – Canadian Legal Information Institute NZLII – New Zealand Legal Information Institute PacLII – Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute
Notes