Legal Systems Overview

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Sources of Law

Each country’s legal system has its own sources of law, with greater weight placed on some sources than others. In developing an infrastructure project, it is important to identify which sources of law apply in the host country and their relative weighting.

Key Features of Common Law or Civil Law Systems

Many countries follow one of the two main forms of legal tradition in the world, civil law or common law. The rationale and principles underlying each of these systems are different, although these differences have become less defined over time and some countries have adopted a combination of these systems. The differences may affect how infrastructure project agreements are drafted.

For an unexhaustive list of the countries with common law and civil law systems, go to the Legal Systems of the World on Wikipedia

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Updated: March 5, 2024