Civil law

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The continental way of doing law. Derives, they will claim, from Julius Caesar and the romance tradition, but basically means a lot of legislation. Less emphasis on precedent, they’re in denial about the existence of trusts, but otherwise sensible, if long-winded, and poroine to use words like synallagmatic and aleatory. Their netting opinions are marathon exercises in spite. You may prefer the common law if, like us, you are tickled by the idea that the entire law of civil wrongs can be derived from a rotten snail in a bottle of ginger-beer, But the continentals will shrug and speak of Robespierre and Hannibal’s trek over the alps. Different strokes for different folks.

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