Private law

Private law

Private law (Civil law) is that part of a legal system that involves relationships between individuals. This includes the law of contracts or torts and the law of obligations. It is distinguished from public law, which deals with law involving the state, including regulatory statutes, penal law and other law of public order.

In general terms, public law involves interrelations between the state and the general population, whereas private law involves interactions between private citizens.

The concept of private law in common law countries is a little more broad, in that it also encompasses private relationships between governments and private individuals or other entities. That is, relationships between governments and individuals based on the law of contract or torts are governed by private law, and are not considered to be within the scope of public law.

Areas in private law

*Civil law
**Contract law or law of obligations
**Law of torts
**Law of property
**Family law family-related issues and domestic relations including, but not limited to marriage, civil unions, divorce, spousal abuse, child custody and visitation, property, alimony, and child support awards, as well as child abuse issues, sex, breast implants, and adoption.
**Succession law
*Labour law
*Commercial law
*Corporations law
*Competition law


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • private law — n: a branch of law concerned with private persons, property, and relationships compare public law Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. private law …   Law dictionary

  • private law — Private Pri vate (?; 48), a. [L. privatus apart from the state, peculiar to an individual, private, properly p. p. of privare to bereave, deprive, originally, to separate, fr. privus single, private, perhaps originally, put forward (hence, alone …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • private law — ➔ law * * * private law UK US noun [U] ► LAW the area of law that deals with disagreements between people or companies, rather than disagreements that involve government: »The law of contracts is an important part of private law …   Financial and business terms

  • private law — private .law n [U] law the part of the law relating to ordinary people, private property, and relationships …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • private law — n. that branch of the law dealing with the relationships between individuals: cf. PUBLIC LAW …   English World dictionary

  • private law — noun : a branch of law treating of private matters, involving private persons, property, and relationships, and excluding those matters treated in public law * * * ˌprivate ˈlaw f135 [private law] noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • private law — noun A category of law governing the relationship among persons (citizens or legal persons including corporations), as opposed to relations between the state and persons. Major subdivisions of private law include (depending on whether the… …   Wiktionary

  • private law — pri′vate law′ n. law a branch of law dealing with the legal relationships of private individuals Compare public law 2) • Etymology: 1765–75 …   From formal English to slang

  • private law — noun Date: 1773 a branch of law concerned with private persons, property, and relationships compare public law …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • private law — 1. a branch of law dealing with the legal relationships of private individuals. Cf. public law (def. 2). 2. a statute affecting only one person or a small number of persons directly. [1765 75] * * * …   Universalium

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