What is Civil law?
{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with the [[Civil law (common law)]]}} [[File:Eo-scale2.png|thumb|right|200px]] '''Civil law''', as a system of law, is different from [[common law]], which is another system of law. The origin of the civil law system of law is ancient [[Rome]]. The civil law system is used in [[countries]] such as [[Germany]], [[France]], many countries which were colonies of those [[Europe]]an countries before, and in many [[Asia]]n countries. It also been adopted in [[Latin America]] as well as in many parts of Asia and many [[Africa]]n countries. There are about 150 countries worldwide that use mainly civil law systems.<ref name=syamWUSL>{{cite web |url=https://onlinelaw.wustl.edu/blog/common-law-vs-civil-law/ |title=What is the Difference Between Common Law and Civil Law? |author=Piyali Syam |date=28 January 2014 |publisher=Washington University School of Law |access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref> About 80 countries use the common law system.<ref name=syamWUSL/> == History == Civil law's very name indicates where it started. Called {{lang-la|jus civile}} is was the civil law during the [[Roman Republic]] and the later [[Roman Empire]].<ref name=appleFJC>{{cite web |url=http://www.fjc.gov/public/pdf.nsf/lookup/CivilLaw.pdf/$file/CivilLaw.pdf |title=A Primer on the Civil-Law System |author=James G. Apple |publisher=Federal Judicial Center |access-date=18 February 2016 |archive-date=1 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501215549/http://www.fjc.gov/public/pdf.nsf/lookup/CivilLaw.pdf/$file/CivilLaw.pdf |url-status=dead }}, pp. 3–5</ref> It started in the [[2nd century BC]]. By the end of the Republic, about 27 [[BC]], a number of [[expert]]s in the law called ''jurists'' (not to be confused with [[judge]]s) became [[wikt:prominent|prominent]].<ref name=appleFJC/> They were mostly members of the [[upper class]]es. Jurists provided their services to counsel people and advise judges who presided over trials.<ref name=appleFJC/> An important feature of [[Roman law]] was it did not depen