There are two main types of law: public law and private law. Public law deals with government powers and obligations and includes criminal law, administrative law, and constitutional law. Private law regulates relationships between individuals and includes contract law, tort law, and property law. A landmark tort law case was Donoghue v Stevenson in 1932, which established that manufacturers have a duty of care toward consumers. Criminal cases involve a prosecutor and defendant, with the prosecutor bearing the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt. Civil cases involve disputes between plaintiffs and defendants, where plaintiffs must prove their case on the balance of probabilities. Various legal professionals play roles in court proceedings, such as judges, solicitors, barristers, and witnesses.

1. Classification of LawThe different types of law systems

2. Public Lawpublic law is the law which deals with the powers and obligations of governments and citizensthere are three main types of public law they include:criminal law – body of rules under which certain acts are punished by the stateadministrative law – laws dealing with government powers/decisionsconstitutional law – rules governing the executive, judiciary and legislative functions

3. Private Law Private law is the law which aims to regulate the relationships between individuals, companies and organisations.There are three main areas of private law:contract law – agreement between two or more parties recognised under the law

4. tort law – ‘Civil Wrongs, interfering with the right of someone else (Negligence, nuisance, trespassing, defamation

5. property law – wide area of law dealing with things owned and that of commercial valueDonoghue v Stevenson 1932 UKLandmark case concerning the tort of negligence (Failing a duty of care)The court decided that the manufacturer has a legal duty to the consumer

6. Criminal Court ProceduresCriminal casesin a criminal case there is a prosecutor and a defendant (also known as the accused)the state (through the prosecutor) brings the case to court the onus is on the prosecutor to prove the casethe standard of proof in a criminal case is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’criminal cases can either be summary or indictable

7. summary offences – heard by a magistrate in the Local Court without a juryindictable offences – usually in the District or Supreme Court, before a judge and a jury

8. Proof and verdicta person can plead guilty or not guiltythe prosecution must prove the case beyond reasonable doubt (standard of Proof) providing sufficient evidence to convince the courtthe jury reaches a verdict of guilty or not guiltythe judge will then impose an appropriate sentence

9. Civil Case ProceduresCivil casescivil cases are court actions involving disputes between individualsbetween a plaintiff and a defendantan individual or organisation bring the case to courtthe onus (Burden of Proof)is on the plaintiff to prove the casethe standard of proof is ‘on the balance of probabilities’

10. Civil trial processplaintiff and accused exchange documents called ‘pleadings’ that set out issues to be decided in courtparties can get information by a process of ‘discovery’parties can settle the matter without trial if they agreeif the plaintiff is successful, the judge can award a remedy

11. Civil trial processwhich court hears the case will depend on the monetary amount or the subject matterplaintiff to prove the case to the court on the balance of probabilities, meaning more likely than not