Law is a set of rules established and enforced by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. It has been characterized as both a science and an art. It is one of the most important aspects of a society and influences politics, economics, history and society in many ways. There are a variety of branches of law, including contracts, criminal and civil, property, torts, intellectual property, family, corporate, administrative, and maritime.

Law can be viewed as a means of control and coercion, and it has been the subject of fierce debates throughout history. Its coercive nature has been the focus of much criticism by philosophers, most notably Jeremy Bentham and John Austin, but it is also a critical component to the function of law in society.

It is necessary for a stable, functional state to be able to fulfill the principal functions of law: establishing standards, maintaining order, resolving disputes, and protecting liberties and rights. In most nation-states, who has the power to make and enforce laws is a matter of political competition, and the transition of government from one group to another is often a source of conflict. In some countries, the legal landscape is further complicated by armed forces that have the power to enforce laws.

A central issue in the development of law is how to decide which behaviors should be regulated. Traditionally, societal decisions have been made by consensus or by appeals to tradition and custom. This approach to regulating behavior has become less popular in recent times, and a number of scholars have sought alternative methods for making law.

One such method is judicial review, where a judge reviews a case and determines whether the law was correctly applied. Using this method can be helpful in identifying flaws in the application of the law and may help to improve future legislation. In addition, a code of law can be a useful way to organize the law and make it more manageable. It can provide a consistent structure for legal analysis, and can allow for easier comparison between laws from different jurisdictions. This system can be used to create a uniform set of laws, and it can be an effective way to deal with differences in local cultures and customs. It can also be used to reduce the time and cost of enforcing law. A code of law can be drafted by a legislature, resulting in statutes; by the executive through decrees and regulations; or by judges, as in common law jurisdictions. A code of law can also be written by individuals, resulting in private binding contracts. The creation of codes is especially helpful in business transactions, where agreements are often lengthy and complex. These contracts often include clauses relating to the transfer of ownership, financing and other issues that can be difficult to document in legal proceedings. The use of a code of law can ensure that parties have clarity over the transaction and prevent miscommunications or misunderstandings.