Importance Of Law In A Society




The importance of laws in our society is two-fold. One that it helps in giving the people what they are supposed to do. Two, it helps in establishing base moral ethics in a person as a better understanding of the law, not in its roots, gives the individual a better sense of what is right and wrong.

For a society to function properly, a sound law structure is extremely important. It also helps in setting and maintaining balance and stability to an otherwise chaotic area. As such, what separates animals from humans is the fact that we have laws governing us. Visit here to know more about the importance of law.




The many legal systems in the world shape a general sense of moral code that if followed right, allows individuals to interact in a civilized manner. In order to better fathom this moral code, it is important to define what legal systems are.

There are three widely used legal systems namely, continental law, common law, and religious law legal systems out of which we will discuss two.


Continental Law Legal System


The first kind, continental law legal system is most widely found in former colonies of the British Empire such as the United States of America, Australia, and Canada. In this kind, the laws are not set in stone as they are issued mostly by the courts. Legal systems put it in place in European countries such as Frain or Spain, and their former colonies use the civil law system, which is different from common law.


Civil Law Legal System



This type of law has its roots from Roman Law which is codified in the Corpus Juris Civilis of Jusinian. Asia and Europe are the two most widely using areas in the world. The legal system is further divided into two more branches which are called Roman law and uncodified roman law.

When compared to a continental legal system, the two systems have a similar aspect in the fact that they both try to offer as much freedom as possible. A major difference, on the other hand, is the fact that the doctrine holds the most power in a civil law legal system.




The doctrine in a civil law legal system is used to analyze past case so as to arrive at an ethical judgment. The punishment and penalties are given accordingly as the doctrine acts as a guideline for court cases.

When a judgment is produced, common law attaches the facts as well as the comparison between the cases whereas civil law looks to see what the legal principles are applicable.

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