Law is the system of rules established in a society by authority and enforced by coercion. Its precise definition is a matter of ongoing debate, with different scholars advocating various approaches. A common view is that it is a set of socially created, enforceable rules designed to achieve particular goals. Its purpose is to control behavior by establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes and protecting liberty and rights. The legal system is complex and the study of law involves studying how these rules are applied in practice and how they interact with each other.
A law may be written or unwritten, statutory or constitutional, and it can be enforced either by state authority (the police or military) or by courts. The rules of law may be promulgated by a legislature, resulting in statutes; decreed by the executive, resulting in regulations; or established by judges through precedent, resulting in case law. Laws can also be enacted by private individuals in the form of contracts. There are many areas of law, such as aviation law governing the operation of aircraft; maritime law governing the transport of goods; family law involving marriage and divorce; and criminal law relating to the apprehension and prosecution of criminals.
Legal problems often require the balancing of competing interests, and this is especially true of cases involving human rights and freedoms. The laws of a particular society reflect its priorities and values, and these will conflict with those of other societies. This can create a need to justify the decisions that have been made, and this is done through various techniques including analogies, policy analysis, and appeals to precedent.
The emergence of new forms of technology has impacted the law and society, for example electronic discovery which is changing the way litigation is conducted. The development of new drugs has impacted the health law, and environmental law is a growing area, with a need to protect the environment from pollution.
The study of law is multi-disciplinary and draws on philosophy, sociology, history, political science, psychology and anthropology. It requires knowledge of many areas of society, for example, taxation law relates to the collection and distribution of taxes; industrial relations law focuses on the tripartite relationship between worker, employer and trade union; and administrative law relates to how the government functions and how it applies its laws. There are also many specialist fields within the law, such as family law involving the granting of parental rights and child custody; criminal law relating to the apprehension, prosecution and conviction of criminals; and civil procedure relating to how legal proceedings are conducted in court. The law is an essential part of a modern society and its proper function is to promote peace, security and good governance. This is why laws must be just and equitable, and why they are not to be violated. This is what the philosopher Roscoe Pound meant by “law as a means of social control”. The rules of law reflect society’s philosophies and values, and in this sense they are a tool of social engineering.