Law is a body of rules created by the state that form a framework to ensure a peaceful society. These rules are enforced by mechanisms created by the state and sanctions can be imposed when they are broken. Law can also refer to a specific set of rules, for example those that govern driving a car.
Different societies have different views of what constitutes law and many books have been written with a variety of ideas about the nature of laws and legal systems. However, there are some basic requirements that most people agree on about laws. These include that they must be open and clear, broadly applicable in their application, and stable over time. They should also be able to provide guidance to people so that they can plan their actions with reasonable confidence that they will not face unexpected and unintended consequences.
In common law legal systems decisions made by courts are acknowledged as law on an equal footing with legislative statutes, and a doctrine known as precedent binds lower courts to assure that similar cases will result in similar outcomes. In civil law systems, legislative statutes are generally more detailed and judicial decisions tend to be shorter and less detailed.
The field of Law encompasses a broad range of topics including criminal law, family law, labour law, tax law and the law of evidence. For example, tort law deals with compensation for damage to property or personal injury such as an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. Family law covers marriage, divorce and the rights of children. Criminal law includes offences against the state itself such as murder, fraud and terrorism.