What are the major differences between common law and civil law?

Common law and civil law are two major legal systems used around the world. In Washington, the laws and procedures are based on both systems. Common law is a set of court judgments which act as legal precedents. This means that courts must follow the same rules that were established in prior cases. This makes it difficult to change laws, as doing so usually requires a new court decision. Civil law is a codified system of laws, based on a comprehensive set of statutes written by the legislature. This system makes it much easier to change laws. Laws can be updated by simply rewriting the statutes, rather than having to go through a lengthy court process. Another major difference between the two systems is in the way punishments are handled. Common law focuses on punishing individuals for breaking the law, while civil law focuses more on finding solutions for the greater good. For example, in common law a person may be held liable for a crime and be required to pay a large sum of money. In civil law, the court may instead order the person to perform some type of service to the community, such as community service. Overall, common law and civil law are two different systems of legal regulation with different definitions of crime and punishment. Common law is focused more on punishment while civil law is more focused on resolving disputes and finding solutions to issues.

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What are the major differences between common law and civil law?

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