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Difference Between Common Law And Civil Law

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According to the book World Class Contracting, “There is no universal law of contracts” (Garrett, 2010). Depending on the social and governmental structure in a country, they might utilize either common or civil law. Civil law and common law are two legal traditions; however, civil law systems are more widespread (The Economist, 2013). About 150 countries currently use civil law systems, while 80 use common law (The Economist, 2013). The United States, however, primarily uses common law. Forty-nine states are governed by common law, and the only state governed by civil law is Louisiana. Core ideas are shared by the two systems of law; however common law and civil law is different. Civil law is created by decisions made by the legislature. Civil law relies primarily on statutes, called codes, to control their contractual regulations. On the other hand, common law comprises the body of those principles and rules of action that derive their authority not from legislative enactments but from usages and customs or from judgments and decrees of the courts recognizing, affirming and enforcing such usage and customs. This paper will cover the history and basic information of both civil and common law and touch on how they affect contracting in the United States.
The U.S. legal system takes its foundation from the common law system developed in England centuries ago. This system took its first form through Royal courts in England that were backed by the King. Eventually, a

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