University of Michigan Law School

Real property, sometimes called ‘real estate’, refers to ownership of land and things attached to it. Personal property, refers to everything else; movable objects, such as computers, cars, jewelry or intangible rights, such as stocks and shares. A right in rem is a right to a specific piece of property, contrasting to a right in personam which allows compensation for a loss, but not a particular thing back. Land law forms the basis for most kinds of property law, and is the most complex. It concerns mortgages, rental agreements, licences, covenants, easements and the statutory systems for land registration.

  • The ‘upper house’ is usually elected to represent states in a federal system or different voting configuration in a unitary system .
  • A New Financial Landscape How are ESG standards impacting business, investing, and law practice?
  • In the EU, sovereign nations have gathered their authority in a system of courts and the European Parliament.
  • Bentham and Austin argued for law’s positivism; that real law is entirely separate from “morality”.
  • Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.

Yet Ancient Greek law contained major constitutional innovations in the development of democracy. Global and Public Law Our academics in the School of Global & Public Law explore a range of topics related to the globalisation of law and the two main branches of Australian public law – constitutional and administrative law. Human rights, civil rights and human rights law are important fields to guarantee everyone basic freedoms and entitlements. These are laid down in codes such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the U.S. The Treaty of Lisbon makes the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union legally binding in all member states except Poland and the United Kingdom.

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This distinction is stronger in civil law countries, particularly those with a separate system of administrative courts; by contrast, the public-private law divide is less pronounced in common law jurisdictions. Roman law was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, but its detailed rules were developed by professional jurists and were highly sophisticated. In medieval England, royal courts developed a body of precedent which later became the common law.

Study Plan

For a description of legal training and a general background, see legal profession, legal education, and legal ethics. Articles that delineate the relationship of law to political structures are constitution; ideology; political party; and political system. For articles that discuss the importance of law regarding social justice and other social issues, see human rights; land reform; and social service. For an examination of comparative legal systems and the relationship of the law to the social sciences, see comparative law. For an analysis of the role of law in the administration of government, see administrative law. For an exposition of social restrictions and their enforcement, see censorship; crime and punishment; and police.

Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more. Although many scholars argue that “the boundaries between public and private Law News are becoming blurred”, and that this distinction has become mere “folklore” (Bergkamp, Liability and Environment, 1–2). In the 18th century, Adam Smith presented a philosophical foundation for explaining the relationship between law and economics. The discipline arose partly out of a critique of trade unions and U.S. antitrust law.