law Definition, Systems, Institutions, & Fields

In medieval England, the Norman conquest the law varied shire-to-shire, based on disparate tribal customs. The concept of a “common law” developed during the reign of Henry II during the late 12th century, when Henry appointed judges that had authority to create an institutionalised and unified system of law “common” to the country. The next major step in the evolution of the common law came when King John was forced by his barons to sign a document limiting his authority to pass laws.

• Law professor and former United States Attorney General Edward H. Levi noted that the “basic pattern of legal reasoning is reasoning by example”—that is, reasoning by comparing outcomes in cases resolving similar legal questions.
• Saudi Arabia recognises Quran as its constitution, and is governed on the basis of Islamic law.
• Sharia law based on Islamic principles is used as the primary