Law is a system of rules that a society or government develops in order to deal with crime, business agreements and other social relationships. It is also the name of a branch of legal study that studies laws and their application.
The precise definition of law is a matter of debate, but it encompasses the principles of justice and fairness. Many different systems of law have been developed over the centuries and are adapted to suit a variety of social settings. A country’s law may differ from another country’s because of differences in its political landscape, which determines who makes the laws.
Some of the most important functions of a nation’s law include keeping peace, maintaining the status quo, preserving individual rights, protecting minorities from majorities, and promoting social change. Some nations’ laws serve these purposes better than others.
Examples of the most common terms related to law include:
In law, an article is a rule set forth by a supervising authority that regulates the parties conduct, duties, expectations, measures of damages in cases of breach and how to resolve conflicts. Examples of articles are contracts, statutes, codes and treaties.
In other areas of law, the term article can refer to a specific paragraph in a document. For example, an article in the United States Constitution outlines how the national government is structured. An article can also be used to refer to a particular portion of a law, such as an excerpt from the UCC that sets out rules in contract negotiations.
