Law is a system of laws developed and enforced by governmental or civic bodies to regulate societal behavior, with an exact definition a subject of ongoing debate. It can be described as the art and science of civil law. A lawyer is someone who practices law. There are different fields of specialization within the law including criminal law, corporate law, family law, international law, human rights law, family law, public law, labor law, and international terrorism law. Lawyers have also argued cases before the US Supreme Court.
- In many parts of the world, including Western Europe, lawyers are religiously affiliated with certain religions, such as Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism.
- Some practitioners, however, do not practice a particular faith but instead choose to become a lawyer based on their personal interests.
- Religions often influence legal systems in ways that are not seen elsewhere in the world.
- The practice of religion in the legal system can be seen as the parallel to the work of sharia law, which is the code of law governing the conduct of religious rituals in Muslim-speaking countries.
Lawyers can specialize; in a number of areas. One example is corporate law, which includes such fields as real estate, banking, insurance, franchises, partnerships, and patent law. Some jurisdictions require attorneys to hold certain licenses to practice. For example, in Canada, lawyers are required by the Federal Court Act to hold professional licenses. This requirement is intended to ensure the regulated industry remains competitive.
Many of the laws developed by governments and other bodies are adopted directly by the people through popular vote or popular submission, known as juries. Jurors are selected from a pool of candidates who have passed the appropriate criteria established by the legislature. This system of jury selection makes it more complicated for governments and other organizations to influence how laws are formulated and enacted because of the wide range of opinions that citizens may have on important issues. For example, laws against discrimination are considered a universal goal by most populations, but some ethnic and religious groups feel that these laws violate their rights to self-determination.
Private rights; are not allowed to be expressed in the courts so that what the legislature does with them is not affected by what a citizen’s private thoughts or feelings may be. The idea of “checks and balances” refers to the way that certain portions of the country are able to protect certain aspects of the constitution without having to look to other parts of the country for help. For example, the ninth amendment protects the right of citizens to vote for certain initiatives and amendments that affect their rights. However, the right of a citizen to be involved in certain political debates is not protected by the guarantee clause so that an initiative being backed by a large amount of money cannot pass into legislation.
Law also influences our society in other ways; It is crucial that lawyers are widely available because many cases require that they take a legal stance on issues that are sensitive to any given community. Without lawyers, the only way that social problems would be addressed is through customary law, which is the system that developed throughout most of the European continent prior to the formation of the states. Today, there are twelve different common law courts which deal with a wide variety of legal matters. These courts are not derived from the constitution, but rather are created by decisions made by the legislature over time.