legal system based on comprehensive codified statutes and written legal codes
originated in Roman law (Corpus Juris Civilis of Justinian, 529 AD), refined through the Napoleonic Code (1804)
the most widespread legal tradition globally: France, Germany, Japan, Latin America, much of Africa and Asia
inquisitorial system: judges actively investigate facts, less reliance on adversarial argument
law is created by legislatures, judges apply the code rather than making law through precedent
structured around systematic codes: civil code, commercial code, criminal code, procedural code
predictable and uniform: same code applies across jurisdictions within a state
contrast with common law: codified rules vs case-by-case precedent
on-chain governance protocols resemble civil law: explicit parameter sets, enumerated rules, deterministic execution
see also constitution, international law, treaty