Tx law-18 - unit 1

2. History of Law
 Codify means to compile, arrange, systemize, and write the
laws of a given region into a code.
 Civil law is the body of law imposed by the state or
government for its citizens.
 Common law refers to the body of law based on custom and
judicial precedent rather than on codified statutes.

3. Sources of Law
 Constitutional Law: consists of a body of rules created by
federal and state constitutions
› The United States Constitution: sets forth the three principal
branches of the federal government, outlines their jurisdictions, and
expresses the basic rights of U.S. citizens
› The Texas Constitution: supreme law of Texas and establishes the
fundamental legal rights of its citizens
 Statutory Law: written law enacted by federal and state
legislative bodies
› Federal Laws: created by a process involving the Congress and the
U.S. president
› Texas Laws: codified into volumes called Vernon’s Annotated Texas
Statutes

4. Sources of Law (continued)
 Administrative Law: written rules and regulations adopted by
governmental agencies to enable the agencies to carry out
their regulatory duties
› Municipal Ordinances: Once a state statute becomes law, ordinances
may be enacted by agencies at the local level.
 Common Law: based on the decisions of judges in previous
cases
Categories of Law
 Civil Law: deals with private offenses, such as violations of
contracts and failure of professional duty
› Areas of Law
 Criminal Law: concerns wrongs against persons or society

5. Court Structure of Texas
 Texas has one of the most complex court systems in the
country, with five levels of courts.
Legal Remedies
 Litigation
› process of bringing a lawsuit against someone
 Alternative Dispute Resolution
› Mediation: process in which a neutral, uninterested third party helps
the parties involved in a dispute to negotiate a settlement or other
resolution
› Arbitration: process in which the parties (and/or their attorneys)
present their cases to an arbitrator, who renders a decision