Main Divisions of Civil Law:
1. Contract Law:
- Governs agreements between individuals and/or businesses, including their formation, performance, and enforcement.
- Includes contracts for sale of goods, employment, services, and insurance.
2. Tort Law:
- Provides remedies for civil wrongs (torts) committed against individuals or property.
- Includes actions for negligence, assault, battery, defamation, and wrongful death.
3. Property Law:
- Defines ownership, use, and transfer of real and personal property.
- Includes laws on land ownership, easements, and intellectual property rights.
4. Family Law:
- Governs legal relationships within a family, including marriage, divorce, child custody, and support.
- Also includes adoption, prenuptial agreements, and domestic violence issues.
5. Business Law:
- Regulates business organizations, such as corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies.
- Includes laws on formation, operation, and dissolution of businesses.
6. Commercial Law:
- Deals with transactions between businesses, including sales, payment systems, and bankruptcy.
- Includes laws on the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), negotiable instruments, and secured transactions.
7. Intellectual Property Law:
- Protects intellectual creations, such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
- Ensures that creators have exclusive rights to their works.
8. Employment Law:
- Governs the relationship between employers and employees, including wages, benefits, discrimination, and wrongful termination.
- Includes laws on the National Labor Relations Act and Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
9. Environmental Law:
- Regulates activities that affect the environment, such as pollution, land use, and conservation.
- Includes laws on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act.
10. International Law:
- Governs legal relationships between nations, including treaties, trade agreements, and diplomatic immunity.
- Includes laws on the United Nations Charter, International Court of Justice, and Geneva Conventions.