Different Fields of Law
In this article, we will try to understand the different branches of law.
Index
- Administrative Law
- Admiralty and Maritime Law
- Arbitration Law
- Banking Law
- Commercial Law
- Competition Law
- Constitutional Law
- Construction Law
- Consumer Protection Law
- Education Law
- Entertainment Law
- Environmental Law
- Family Law
- Health Law
- Human Rights Law
- Immigration Law
- Information Technology
- Insurance Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Law
- Labor Law
- Law of Evidence
- Law of Tort
- Military Law
- Property Law
- Taxation Law
Alphabetical Nutshell
| Different Fields of Law | |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
|
| E |
|
| F |
|
| G |
|
| H |
|
| I |
|
| L |
|
| M |
|
| N |
|
| O |
|
| P |
|
| R |
|
| S |
|
| T |
|
| U |
|
| W |
|
Description
Administrative Law
This field of law deals with the laws made by the government for government offices. It consists of rule making, enforcing, adjudication, etc.
Admiralty and Maritime Law
This law deals with the territory in waters, domestic and international alike.
Arbitration Law
Arbitration means the hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties. The specialty of this field of law is that lawyers can practice it on the basis of their own educational background. For example, a lawyer who has studied civil engineering can be a medium between the judges and the petitioner or defendant or else solve matters of construction or architectural issues himself (in case of outside court settlement) because he has the required professional knowledge about both the fields.
Banking Law
As the name suggests this field is related to the banking sector and the norms and rules for operation of banks.
Civil Law
This field of law is concerned with the society at large and deals with the codified laws in the country and it was initiated by the Romans. It deals with disputes arising between individuals which are not criminal in nature.
Commercial Law
Commercial law deals with the contracts between commodity manufacturers, distributors and consumers. It also deals with property laws. Bankruptcy laws, bills of exchange, insurance laws, credit card laws are examples of commercial laws.
Competition Law
This field of law deals with the price-fixing of any commodity or services in the market available for the people. Competition law forbids setting up prices that tends to monopolize the business owner in the market. It is also known as the Antitrust law in the USA.
Constitutional Law
This is the mother of all laws in a country. The constitution is the basis of all laws and any law enacted before or after the enactment of constitutional laws in any country should be in accordance with it. In case it is not, then the constitution prevails over it. It basically defines all the fundamental rights and duties of not only the citizens but the government itself too.
Construction Law
This law deals with the standards set by the government, the state governments to be more precise, for any kind of construction. Be it roads, buildings, malls, housing societies, etc. For example, the carpet area, the number of lifts, the area allotted to every township or building as their own parking or activity areas, etc. come under the construction laws. Non compliance might result in destruction of the same and cutting down the occupied areas according to the legal limits.
Consumer Protection Law
Consumer protection is comparatively a newer branch of codified law. Though exchange of goods and merchandising existed since the ancient times, it is only recently that consumers have been protected by codified law. It deals with setting standards for fair practices and regulations on marketing, advertising, product ingredients, etc. It ensures that the consumers are not misguided by the mentioned factors and thus it is mandatory to provide detailed information for each commodity, be it something as tangible as a food item or any service like the courier, etc.
Corporate / Company Law
Corporate laws includes a range of subjects some of which are making contracts, matters dealing with intellectual property rights of the company, business liabilities within as well related to the business organization, legislative compliance of the laws, etc. It also deals with separate legal personality, transferred shares, powers of the board of directors, and limited liability.
Education Law
Education laws are the collective laws of the rules and regulations plus policies enacted by the government for the entire education system. For example, the strength of each class, the subjects to be taught, the syllabus, the examination pattern, the privatization of schools, teaching methods, qualification of the teachers are some examples of the laws related to education.
Entertainment Law
This is one field of law that can be sub divided into TV, radio, music, theater, films, etc. because these happen to be the mediums of entertainment and it encompasses all mediums of entertainment that law recognizes. It means mediums which can be watched and heard. Entertainment laws thus also include laws of defamation, right of privacy, production agreements, licensing, intellectual properties, copyrights, trademarks, etc.
Environmental Law
Environmental laws, again like the education laws, are a cluster of laws, regulations, treaties of related topics. It consists of laws related to conservation and management of natural resources, pollution, etc. For example, the Kyoto Protocol is meant to control the global warming and is made by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Family Law
Family law, as the name suggests has got to do with family affairs and issues arising in the domestic purview which includes, marriage, adoptions, divorce, alimony, property distribution, domestic violence, surrogacy, etc. Divorce lawyers usually handle cases of alimony and custody of children too.
Health Law
Health laws are applicable in the health care industry, patients' health, and manufacturers of equipment used in the health sector. This field of law is different from the medical laws however it often coincides with medical ethical issues, consent given by patients / guardians, law of contract between the doctor-patient, etc.
Human Rights Law
Human or civil rights are laws that protect every individual's fundamental and basic rights and freedom like freedom to practice any religion, right to education, freedom of expression, right to constitutional remedies, freedom of association, movement, etc. There is also the International Human Rights law which promotes as well as protects human rights on the international level and formulates treaties regarding the same. Although it is not a law that binds you legally, it is considered as one of the basis of political obligation.
Information Technology / Cyber Law
Cyber law is a very recent development which has come into existence because of the use of Internet. Communication through emails, transactions on the Internet come into the purview of this law. Uploading any information or material that is illegal or encroaches upon somebody's privacy or if undue advantage of the freedom of expression takes place, the cyber law or the information technology Acts are what takes care of it.
Immigration Law
As the name suggests, this field of law is related to the foreign citizens and their permit to work in any non-native countries. This law is also a part of the Nationality law which defines the citizenship of foreigners and their rights to travel to and from the respective country, and this explains the term immigration. This law also extends to the Right of Asylum, refugees and stateless citizens.
Insurance Law
Laws related to various businesses of insurance policies, claims, warranties and the rules and regulations regarding the same are included in this field of law. Some examples of insurance policies can be that of crime insurance, health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, worker's compensation, malpractice insurance, etc.
Intellectual Property Law
Intellectual property is not something tangible. It includes intangible things like the scientists' rights on their inventions, authors' rights on their books, article or any publication, corporates' rights on their signatory logos, etc. Copyrights and patents are dealt within this field of law. Music composers, cartoonists, etc. too have their rights on their creations and consult attorneys for the same. A trademark attorney focuses on protecting business assets such as brand names, logos and slogans.
International Law
This law field extends to the international areas like the United Nations Organization for example and also has to do with human rights plus business and economic policies. The GATT
is one example of the international economic law. On a smaller scale, lawyers can get employed in the multinational companies and handle the negotiations of contracts, etc.
Labor Law
This is the most important and useful law for the masses. Rights of the labor class in any company, big or small, and facilities to be provided by the employers to all employees and protection of the same comes under the labor law. Enforcements of compulsory standards is also included. Likewise the employers also have benefits under this law as far as definition of liabilities and strikes, and retrenchments are concerned.
Law of Evidence
Evidence in any form, oral e.g. affidavits, testimonies, etc. or any tangible object that plays a role in any judicial proceeding comes under the purview of law of evidence. Authenticity, tampering, exclusion, burden of proof, etc. are factors which are included in the law of evidence.
Law of Tort
Law of tort is one of the common laws that handles tricky civil issues like nuisance, negligence, false imprisonment, defamation, slander, liabilities, breach of duty, etc. It can basically be defined as any civil wrong that amounts to encroachment or 'injury' to the rights of others and that amounts to compensation, is called committing of tort. Injury is nothing but violation of other's rights. This is accompanied by payment of compensation.
Military Law
Military law is a completely separate entity of the legal system and has a different outlook and rules altogether. Although all the commissioned officers come under the scanner of military law, the civilians in the military are also subjected to the military laws in some cases. The jurisdiction depends on the events and different situations. This field of law is not covered in the usual syllabus of academic law courses of the civil law schools but is restricted to military officers alone. And it is accessible to the common man only in those countries which have passed the Right to Information Act otherwise it comes under the Official Secrets Act and is restricted only to the officers of the armed forces.
Property Law / Real Estate Law
Real estate law encompasses the ownership issues of land and / or property. It also helps determine the possession rights, usage rights, sales rights, tenant issues, etc. Mortgaging, lease agreements, agent brokerage, real estate investments, cross border relocation of people, etc are also areas where property law comes into play. While a building, township, etc. is being constructed, the compliance with the local, state, or national government rules and laws are dealt in this field of law.
Taxation and Customs Law
As the name suggests, taxation law is basically the charges that the government gets from all economic transactions happening in the country in terms of employment, business, transactions, etc. This is one field of law that keeps differing according to the statutes and court decisions. Entities like the people, the state, corporates, etc. come under the purview of customs and taxation law.
Like This Article?
Follow:
Post Comment