Let’s read.

CONCEPT OF CIVIL LAW

Civil law is a body of rules that defines and protects the private rights of citizens, offers, legal remedies that may be sought
in a dispute, and covers areas of law such as contracts, torts, property, and family law. Civil law is derived from the laws of
ancient Rome which used doctrines to develop a code that determined how legal issues would be decided.

Civil law cases are divided into four main categories, each covering a range of issues. The first is Contract law that 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 agreement for the lease of an apartment. If one party violates any of the provisions of the
contract, they have committed a civil wrong known as “breach of contract.” The second category is Tort law which deals
with personal injury and civil wrongdoing. A tort is a civil wrong, done by one person or entity to another which results in
injury or property damage, and frequently involves monetary compensation to the injured party.

Property law, another category of civil 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. Furthermore, Family law is the branch of civil law that deals with marriage, divorce,
annulment of child custody, adoption, birth, child support, and any other issues affecting families.

Glossary:
annulment (n) : cancellation breach of contract (np): violating a contract dispute (n) : disagreement
lease (n) : rent tangible (adj) : real violate (v) : break

According to the reading passage, in which category is the following information true? Check (√) the
correct boxes
Contract Tort Property Family
1. It is laws that deal with family cases such as divorce, marriage,
and adoption.
2. It sets the punishment of people’s wrongdoing which result in
injury or property damage.
3. It covers personal and real property such as jewelry, animals,
and land.

4. It organizes a deal between two people or more such as the

lease of car and apartment.

Check (v) whether the information is True or False

True False
1. Civil law is made to organize and secure the private rights of citizens.

2. According contract law, if one party adhere to the contract, they are considered as “breach of
contract”.
3. Personal injury and civil wrongdoing are covered by tort law..

4. Real property can be tangible, such as jewelry and animals.

5. Marriage, divorce, and adoption are protected by the family Law.

Complete the following chart.

Complete the following diagram “The courtroom”:

• Accused
• Counsel
• Court Clerk
• Court Witness
• Crown Prosecutor
• Defence Lawyer /
Duty Counsel
• General Public
• Judge
• Sheriff
Let’s read.

LAWYERS AND JUDGES (Part 1)

A lawyer is the legal representative of persons, groups, or governments, in their disputes or relations with each other. He
or she may represent a government (and its citizens), or a business. Some lawyers deal only with cases of a certain kind,
such as corporate law (business affairs), divorce law (law dealing with marriage dissolvements), real estate law (law
dealing with buying and selling property), maritime law ( law dealing with ships), or criminal law (law dealing with people
accused of committing crime(s)). Lawyers spend much of their time advising their clients (customers) about what they
legally can or cannot do. In this way, lawyers often keep people out of trouble.

A lawyer may be retained, or hired, for many reasons. A lawyer may draw up a contract (agreement) between a person
who has something to sell and a person who wants to buy it. There are many state and federal laws about handling the
estate (money and property) of someone who has died. A person who wants his or her money or property handled in a
certain way will get a lawyer to draw up a will. The will states exactly what will be done with the person’s estate after
that person dies.

In any criminal trial in the United States, the defendant (accused person) has the right to be represented by a lawyer. If
the defendant cannot afford to pay a lawyer, the court will appoint one and pay the fee. Lawyers are required to use all
their knowledge of the law to help client. Even if persons are guilty, they have the right to have their cases presented in
the best possible way.
Adapted from Young Students Learning Library
Glossary:
accused of commiting crime (n) : suspected to do crime afford (v) : have ability appoint (v) : assign
defendant (n) : suspect dissolvement (n) : making into an end
draw up a will (v): to make contract property (n) : belongings trial (n) : legal process

Mention the types of law by completing the following chart. One has been done for you

(1) corporate law : law dealing with business matters

(2) .............................................................................................
Types of Law (3) .............................................................................................
(4) .............................................................................................
(5) …………………………………………………………………………………

Decide if the following statements about the reading are true (T), false (F) or Not Given (NG) if it is not stated in the text.
If you check (v) false (F), correct the statements to make it true.

True False NG
1. Environmental law is managed by a lawyer.
Correction: ....................................................................
2. To be a lawyer one has to be a graduate of Law Department.
Correction: ....................................................................
3. Real estate law deals with transaction of bellonging.
Correction: ...................................................................
4. A lawyer cannot come to client’s house for any cases.
Correction: ....................................................................
5. Lawyers need to be capable in using their knowledge of the law to help client
Correction: ....................................................................
6. All lawyers are paid by the government.
Correction: ...................................................................