SOC211H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Common-Law Marriage, General Social Survey, Abusive Power And Control
Document Summary
Civil laws are the laws that govern our relationships with each other. They provide much of the framework for arrangements we agree to voluntarily. They also provide us with remedies if someone defaults on their obligations toward us. The vocabulary used in civil processes is different from that in criminal processes. A civil suit is started by a plaintiff" who sues a. Once the process is started, there are several steps that may follow the filing of their pleadings". Civil law is also the branch of law that governs our family relationships. Jurisdiction over family law matters is distributed between the federal and provincial governments. Family law is generally considered to include pre-marital arrangements, like pre-nuptial agreements and intimate partner arrangements, as well as relationships that have traditionally been recognized in the law. The law has been slow to recognize changing social norms around intimate relationships and the changing structure of families.
