Civil law (legal system)

A legal tradition grounded primarily in comprehensive codes and statutes, with judges applying and interpreting written law rather than treating precedent as its main source.

Civil code: A comprehensive statute that organizes rules governing areas such as contracts, property, and family relations. Civil codes are the tradition’s defining instruments for organizing private-law rules.
Common law: A legal tradition in which judicial decisions and precedent are central sources of law. It is the principal contrasting tradition, especially regarding the authority of precedent.
Roman law: The legal system of ancient Rome, whose institutions and texts profoundly influenced later European law. Its concepts and compilations supplied foundational material for many civil-law systems.
French law: The legal system of France, shaped by revolutionary legislation and the Napoleonic codification project. France developed an influential civil-law model centered on national codes.
Codification: The process of organizing legal rules into a systematic written code. Civil law is closely associated with codification as a method of legal organization.
Code of law: A systematically arranged body of legislation covering a defined area of law. Codification gives civil-law systems an organized statutory foundation.
Stare decisis: The doctrine that courts should follow relevant precedents established by earlier decisions. Its strong role in common-law courts contrasts with civil law’s code-centered method.
Corpus Juris Civilis: The sixth-century compilation of Roman law commissioned by Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Its preservation and organization of Roman legal texts influenced later civil-law scholarship.
German law: The legal system of Germany, notable for its systematic private-law scholarship and codification. German legal institutions illustrate a distinct, highly systematic civil-law approach.
Legal transplant: The transfer of a legal rule, institution, or system from one jurisdiction to another. Civil-law codes and institutions have traveled widely through reform and colonial history.

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