Private law facts for kids

Private law is a part of the law that deals with how people and groups interact with each other. Think of it as the rules for everyday relationships between individuals, like when you make a deal with someone or if someone accidentally causes you harm. It's different from public law, which is about how people and groups interact with the government or the state.

For example, if you buy something from a store, the rules about that sale are usually part of private law. But if you break a traffic rule, that's public law because it involves the government and public safety.

What is Private Law?

Long ago, a Roman lawyer named Ulpian (who lived around 170-223 AD) talked about two main types of law: public and private. He said that public law was about the Roman state, while private law was about what was useful for individual people.

Later, a French thinker named Montesquieu (who lived from 1689-1755) expanded on this idea. He explained that people living on a big planet need rules for how nations interact (international law). As members of a society, they need rules for how the government and people interact (public law). And as individuals, they need rules for how they deal with each other (private law).

Private Law in Different Countries

In some countries, especially those that use a legal system called common law (like the United States or the United Kingdom), private law can also include some situations where the government acts like a private person. For example, if the government buys supplies from a company, the contract rules for that sale would be part of private law, not public law.

Areas of Private Law

Private law covers many different areas that affect our daily lives. Here are some of the main ones:

• Business Law: This includes rules for companies and how businesses operate.
  • Company Law: Rules about how companies are formed and run.
  • Commercial Law: Rules about buying, selling, and trading goods and services.
• Law of Obligations: This is about duties people have to each other.
  • Contract Law: Rules about agreements and promises that people make. For example, when you buy a phone, you enter into a contract.
  • Tort Law: Rules about when someone causes harm to another person, even if there wasn't a contract. For instance, if someone's carelessness causes you an injury.
  • Unjust Enrichment: Rules about when someone unfairly benefits from another person's loss.
• Trust Law: Rules about when one person holds property for the benefit of another.
• Law of Agency: Rules about when one person acts on behalf of another.
• 'Property Law: Rules about owning and using land and other things.
• Family Law: Rules about family matters like marriage, divorce, and who takes care of children.
• Succession: Rules about what happens to a person's property after they pass away. This includes wills and inheritance.
• Consumer Protection: Rules that protect people when they buy goods and services.
• International Private Law: Rules that help decide which country's laws apply when there's a legal problem between people from different countries.
• Labour Law: Rules about the relationship between employers and employees.
• Transport Law: Rules about moving goods and people by land, sea, or air.

See also

• International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
• International Journal of Private Law
• Polycentric law
• Private law society
• Social law