subject: Different Types Of Law In The United Kingdom [print this page] When many people think of lawyers and the law, they invariably think of criminal court cases where a lawyer is either acting as the defence or prosecution. This is probably due to the influx of television shows that depict law firms and legal cases in this way. Though there are many legal professionals that do this as a day to day part of their job, there are many more lawyers and solicitors who work on very specific parts of the law in very different ways. As the law is such a diverse and wide-ranging subject, many people going into a legal profession choose to specialise in a particular area. There are many subsections of the law that cover almost every aspect of life. One lawyer would not be able to provide expert advice on all aspects of the law, so it is important that legal professionals specialise in different areas.
The main distinctions in law are between criminal and civil law and between public and private law. Criminal law is used for maintaining law and order and the protection of society. Criminal cases are brought to punish those who have broken laws and have disrupted law and order. This is what first comes to mind when many people think of the law. Civil law, on the other hand, is used to settle disputes and problems between individuals or companies. The result of a civil law case is that the party who is at fault often has to pay compensation or make amends in a certain agreed way. This distinction between civil and criminal law also falls under the distinction between public and private law. Public law covers the government or the state it makes sure that the government follows the law in terms of legislation, operation and decision making. Criminal law is a part of public law because a crime is seen as an action against the state, criminal law solicitors will work towards the resolution of the case or the punishment of the individual. Private law covers the rest of society not related to the government or the state, and therefore covers civil law. Private law covers disputes and interactions between private citizens, rather than the state and the general population.
So if you are thinking about going into the legal profession, you will need to think carefully about whether you want to be involved in public or private law. If you decide that public law is for you, you can then decide on a part of public law to specialise in. Public law is generally divided into constitutional, administrative and criminal law. Criminal law, as mentioned above, deals with maintaining law and order. Constitutional law deals with the relationship between the state and the individual. It makes sure that the government or the state follows the law in the way it operates. Administrative law makes sure that administrative agencies and public bodies make decisions and function in a lawful way. This is often done through judicial reviews and may apply to international trade or taxation. Depending on the case, charity law and education law can either fall under public or private law. Charity law deals with the regulation of charitable bodies and ensures they are operating in a lawful (and charitable) manner. Education law may deal with the process of conversion to an academy or health & safety.
Private law covers a much wider range of subsections than public law. Civil law is a part of public law and in turn encompasses even more specialised areas. Contract law deals with agreements, contracts or pacts between two or more parties. It ensures that the contracts are followed and are not breached by either party. Contract law will also cover the compensation or resolution owed when one party breaks the terms of a contract. Property law is another form of civil law. It encompasses everything involved in the buying, selling, renting or leasing of a property. The most common area of property law is conveyancing or the transfer of legal title. Family law is a major part of civil law and covers a wide range of legal issues relating to families and relationships. Divorce, adoption, abuse (child or domestic), wills and civil partnerships all fall under family law. As well as civil law, private law will also cover employment law which is the body of laws covering the legal rights of employers and employees, health & safety and terms of employment & redundancy. Other areas of law that fall under private law are commercial law (regulation of the operation and actions of businesses) and competition law (regulation of anti-competitive conduct by companies).
These are not the only areas of law that legal professionals specialise in there are many different areas. For those interested in protecting the environment, environmental law is a part of the law that controls the way humans interact with the natural environment and works towards reducing the impact it has. Media law encompasses the legal services needed in the entertainment industry. This will cover a number of different areas such as contract law or employment law. A similar field is that of intellectual property law, which often crosses over with media law. This covers the rights that protect an intellectual creation, for example copyright, patents and trademarks. Even more specific is maritime law which oversees disputes or problems that have occurred at sea or on boats. Other popular choices for legal specialisation may include human right law (covering unfair trials or imprisonment, discrimination and freedom of speech) or personal injury law (mainly dealing with gaining a resolution or compensation after an accident). There are many different types of law that you can specialise in and if you are thinking about going into the legal profession you will have to think about what issues and areas really interest you.
