Law refers to the system of rules that a particular country or community develops in order to deal with crime, business agreements and social relationships. It can also be used to refer to the people who work in this field, such as lawyers and judges.
Law is a complicated subject, and different countries have their own systems of law. It is therefore difficult to give a definitive definition of it. However, most definitions agree that it covers a wide range of subjects. These include:
Amongst the most important aspects of Law are the principles that govern how courts and other agencies should behave. These include the principle that a judge must listen to all arguments presented before deciding a case, and the principle that judges should make their decisions based on the evidence provided.
Another area of law is a government’s power and the limits that it should be allowed to place on itself. The framers of the US Constitution, for example, were concerned that any single person or group could have too much power. They solved this problem by dividing power into legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Other areas of law include banking and financial law, which set minimum standards such as the amounts that banks must keep in reserve, and regulation of industries like water, gas, energy and telecommunications, to ensure that they meet environmental or safety requirements. Labour law covers the tripartite industrial relationship of worker, employer and trade union, with regulations such as a minimum wage and the right to strike.