The history of law is closely tied to the development of societies around the world, as people sought a means to establish order, while punishing transgressors. One of the most famous early examples of law is the code of Hammurabi. In America today, both criminal and civil law are important legal fields. To define civil law, it is the laws and policies that deal with the rights of private citizens.
There are many reasons people might need to know more about civil law. Although most of us think of injury lawsuits when it comes to civil law, it also includes legal processes such as wills, LLC formations, incorporation, living trusts, and more. People who require these services are often looking to understand the legal framework of what they are doing before they consult with an attorney or other law professional.
Before visiting a lawyer, there are many resources available online to help people understand legal precedents for their case, the likely course of action, how long the trial will take, what they will need to prepared for, what defenses they can take if they are the accused, et cetera. Zoom Legal is one example of a website that provides information and a free legal dictionary online. Zoom Legal also allows people to prepare legal documents, which is a service offered by similar sites as well. Being able to prepare legal documents online can save many people money, since they would otherwise need to pay a lawyer to take the time to draft it.
Remember that sites like Zoom Legal are intended to be instructive, but cannot take the place of an actual human attorney if you ever need to be inside of a courtroom. Use it as an instructive tool, and inform yourself thoroughly.