The law is a set of rules that a society or government develops to deal with crime, business agreements, social relationships and other matters. Law is usually defined in terms of a body of rules enforceable by sanctions or punishment, for example criminal law and civil law. However, it can also be used to refer to a specific branch of law such as labour law or maritime law. It can also be used to refer to a legal theory or philosophy such as utilitarian law, which advocates that the purpose of the law is to maximize social welfare.
The source of the law is often religious precepts such as Jewish halakha and Islamic Sharia or Christian canon law, which are then further elaborated through human interpretation, Qiyas (reasoning by analogy), Ijma (consensus) and precedent. The law may also be derived from natural principles which are unchanging, such as the concept of property or the rights of citizens, as advocated by natural lawyers such as Jeremy Bentham.
Other areas of the law include administrative law which deals with the way a government is run, and public law which covers the ways that utilities and services are managed. Employment law concerns a tripartite relationship between employer, employee and trade union, including issues such as collective bargaining and the right to strike. Criminal procedure and evidence law concern the rules governing trials, appeals and a citizen’s right to a fair trial and hearing.