Law is a field of study and a profession that deals with established social standards and laws that govern behavior. A governing body supervises the application of the body of regulations. A nation’s law system is responsible for:
- Maintaining current conditions.
- Maintaining peace.
- Safeguarding minorities against big majorities.
- Upholding individual’s rights.
- Fostering controlled societal transformation.
- Encouraging social justice.
In general terms, laws are rules that direct how a society should behave and are often passed by the government of a country. The purpose of the law is to provide a plan for resolving conflicts among people and make life easy for all the individuals in a society.
What are the different types of law professions?
There are many different types of law professions that collectively work together to make society a safe and happy place for people to prosper. In order to begin your career in the field of law, it is important to know the answer to this question: What does a Juris Doctor do? A Juris Doctor (JD) is a Doctor of Jurisprudence — formerly known as the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree. A flexible and affordable JD program is available online from Cleveland State University, enabling you to gain legal training while continuing your career. In law, this degree allows individuals to enter into the practical law work environment after passing the bar exam. The degree also allows students to pursue high-paying legal careers, in roles such as attorneys, barristers, judges or legal consultants.
How does law shape our society?
Law is crucial because it serves as a social rule of conduct. Additionally, it was created to set suitable standards and guidelines for everyone’s conduct and ensure equity for the government’s three branches (i.e., legislative, executive and judicial). Following are some essential points that elaborate on the importance of law in society, business and politics:
Law makes people responsible
Without law, no one would have a sense of responsibility, accountability or self-control. Because rules and regulations are put in place by the government of a country, residents are forced to behave and act in a socially appropriate way.
A great example to understand the importance of law in a society is a developed country with strict regulations about throwing trash on the road, compared to an under-developed country with poor laws about throwing trash. The former country would be clean, and the residents would be responsible, while the latter country would be dirty and polluted, and the residents would be careless.
Law is a means of justice
Law is a means of getting justice and bringing stability and peace to a society. Without proper laws in place, society would crash, and the people would have nowhere to go to seek justice. Law provides a means of hope for people who have been wronged.
As a result of a strong social justice system, people are motivated, businesses flourish, economies are strong and countries develop rapidly. In the absence of a law that serves justice, people remain unmotivated and depressed, corruption takes over, crime increases, and development in countries goes downhill.
Law ensures everyone is treated fairly and equally
The rule of law is crucial for achieving political stability, economic success, and social growth as well as for preserving individual rights and fundamental freedoms. It is crucial to forge the social contract between the people and the government, guaranteeing that everyone has access to public services, and avoiding power abuse and corruption.
Fair social laws make sure that everyone is treated equally regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, etc. Equality and transparency laws are extremely important for countries to prosper because, without them, individuals in societies would only end up in never-ending conflicts.
Law provides rights for all persons in society
The law lays down the fundamentals for the rights of all living beings in a society, whether they are humans, animals, or even plants. Governments are required by international human rights legislation to take or refrain from certain actions in order to advance and defend the basic freedoms of people or groups. Likewise, the law in a country also safeguards its animals against maltreatment, cruelty, and unnecessary killing or hunting through animal rights.
Law is a means of achieving a democratic society
Democracy is the system followed by a government that gives its residents the legal right to participate in choosing the leaders of the country. Multiple candidates stand in elections and run campaigns to inform people of their potential and capabilities in how they can help in improving society and the country as a whole. In a democratic environment, people decide who will lead through the process of voting.
Democracy, the power of the law, and effective governance are all closely intertwined. A democratic society is built on the principles of the rule of law. The fundamental components necessary for the creation of an ‘ideal society’ are democracy, the rule of law, and effective government. The rule of law upholds democracy while providing a supportive and exciting environment for it to flourish. At the same time, in every contemporary society, good governance supports and enhances both rule of law and democracy.
Law helps the peaceful settlement of disagreements and crimes
Without social laws in place, it would be impossible to settle disagreements because there would be no clear-cut way of defining ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ actions. Law is what helps us differentiate between right and wrong. It helps us to tell the difference between a misdemeanor, a felony, and an infraction.
Laws in a country decide the outcomes of different disagreements without causing havoc. For example, the law decides what will happen in case a brother illegally steals his sister’s property, if a couple wants to adopt a child, if a couple wants a divorce, etc. A society without laws would never come to a settlement in case of such events.
