Law is a system of rules that governs the way people in society behave. It helps people cooperate with one another and avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
The term is derived from the Latin word ‘lawe’ meaning ‘to command’, or more specifically, to ‘order and regulate the conduct of the human community.’
Generally, the term is used to refer to rules that are made by governments that citizens must follow or face punishment for breaking. For example, if someone is caught stealing, they could be fined or put in jail.
There are many different kinds of laws, each dealing with a specific area of life. These include labour law, criminal procedure and evidence law.
Property law is the study of ownership and possession, including land (real estate), movable objects and intangible rights such as trademarks. It concerns mortgages, leases, licenses and land registration systems.
Regulation is a field of law that deals with social responsibility, especially the provision of services by public and private companies. It is especially important when privatisation has reshaped how the delivery of public services is organised.
Legal justification is the process by which a legal norm (often pertaining to certain other norms) is attributed to an action, and then determines whether or not that act is legally valid.
Typically, a legal norm can be attributed to an action in two ways: either the action can be justified on its own (see Hohfeld 1919: 50-57), or it may be justified on other groundings. For example, “Joseph has a legal right in his good name” is justified on the basis of the first-order norm that “Every person has a legal right in his/her good name”.