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civil law UK US noun [U] LAW
► the part of the legal system that deals with people's relationships, property, and business agreements, rather than with criminal activity: »
US shareholders are suing the company under civil law for deliberately misleading investors.
► a legal system based on ancient Roman law, which is used in many countries. In this system a court makes decisions based on a set of recorded laws rather than on the decision of a judge or jury: »
Thailand's legal system is based on civil law, so the case may not be treated as a precedent by other bankruptcy judges.
→ Compare COMMON LAW(Cf. ↑common law), CRIMINAL LAW(Cf. ↑criminal law), STATUTE LAW(Cf. ↑statute law)
Financial and business terms. 2012.