Law and its Classification

Law:

A binding custom or practice of a community: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally

recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority.

A rule, usually made by the government of a country that is used to order the way in which the

society has to behave.

The law is a set of rules that are laid down to regulate the government of the state and control the

relationship between the state and its citizens and also to govern the relationship between one

citizen and another which is enforceable by the courts.

Classifications of Law:

Law may be classified in various different ways but the most important classifications are as

follows:

• Municipal Law and International Law

• Public Law and Private Law

Municipal Law and International Law:

• Municipal or Domestic law is that facet of law that springs from and has an effect on the

members of a particular state. An example of a municipal law is the Constitution of

Pakistan that applies only in Pakistan.

 • On the other hand, International law is the law that governs laws between different

countries. It regulates the relationship between various independent countries and is usually

governed by treaties, international customs and so on. Examples of International law

include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and

People’s Rights etc.

Public Law and Private Law:

Public law:

Public law is the law that is concerned with the relationship of the citizens and the state. This

consists of other different specialist areas as follows:

Constitutional law:

Constitutional law is concerned with the constitution. It covers the composition and procedures of

Parliament, the functioning of central and local government, citizenship and the fundamental rights

and liabilities of the citizens of the country.

Administrative law:

Administrative law is the law that is brought to for better and convenient administration of the

government and the government bodies.

Criminal Law:
Criminal law is the law that is connected with the act of forbidding particular forms of wrongful

conduct and imposing punishment on those who engage in such acts. Criminal proceedings are

usually brought in the name of the State and are known as ‘prosecutions’. Punishments that are

available to be imposed on the convict are imprisonment and fines.

Private law:

Private law is the law that is predominantly concerned with the rights and liabilities of individuals

towards each other. The involvement of the states in this area of law is restricted to providing a

proper method of resolving the dispute which has arisen. Therefore, the legal process gets started

by the citizen who is aggrieved and not by the state. Private law is also known as‘civil law’ and

often it is in contrast with criminal laws.

Civil law:

The civil law deals with the private rights and duties which arise between individuals in a country.

The object of a civil action is to correct the wrongdoing that has been committed.

Contract Law:

Contract law deals with agreements between two or more parties, each of which is obligated to

hold up their portion of the agreement. For example, two parties enter into an agreement for the

lease of an apartment. The Lessor has the right to use the apartment, and the landlord receives rent

money as compensation. If one party violates any of the provisions of the contract, they have
committed a civil wrong known as “breach of contract.” Generally speaking, contracts may be oral

or written, however there are certain types of contracts that must be put in writing.

Property Law:

Property law covers both personal property and real property. Personal property can be tangible,

such as jewelry, animals, and merchandise, or intangible such as patents, copyrights, stocks, and

bonds. Real property refers to land and anything built on it that cannot be easily removed, as well

as anything under the surface of the land, such as oil and minerals.