Law is a set of coercive rules that manage human behaviour in a community environment and which must be obeyed by everyone. It is enforced by the authorised official bodies of a state and it contains sanctions that may be imposed upon people who break the rules.
Law covers a wide range of subjects. It identifies people’s rights and obligations in such areas as property, employment, health and education. It also identifies the responsibilities of public authorities such as police, government and corporations.
It is a discipline with a long history. Its origins lie in ancient Greek philosophy and then in the practical application of Roman laws. These were extensively codified by Theodosius II and Justinian I and were adapted to deal with changing social circumstances by professional jurists and academic legal scholars. The result was a system of rules that, with the exception of constitutional law and international treaties, remains fundamentally the same today.
Modern law is highly complex. It addresses a variety of activities and is reflected in many different branches of law, such as contract law which regulates agreements to exchange goods and services, business law which concerns the conduct of businesses and transactions, tax law which identifies taxes payable by individuals and companies, banking law which imposes regulations on banks and financial institutions, and criminal law which defines offences and imposes penalties. Each area of the law has its own specialised terminology and technical skills.