Civil Law systems, prevalent across continental Europe and many other parts of the world, are fundamentally based on comprehensive, codified statutes and legislative enactments.

Unlike Common Law, which builds on judicial decisions, Civil Law systems derive their primary authority from detailed, systematically organized codes. These codes aim to be exhaustive, covering all legal matters from civil rights to criminal offenses in a clear, accessible manner. The role of the legislature in drafting and continually updating these codes is paramount, ensuring that the law is primarily a product of deliberate legislative intent rather than incremental judicial interpretation. Judges in Civil Law systems primarily apply these codes directly to the facts of a case. While previous judicial decisions (jurisprudence) may be persuasive, they are generally not binding precedent in the same way as in Common Law. This approach emphasizes consistency through adherence to the written law, promoting legal certainty and making the law theoretically accessible to any citizen who can read the code.