Certified Legal Assistant Paralegal (CLA-CP) Practice Test 2025 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The term commonly used for court-made law is "common law." This description refers to the legal principles and practices that have evolved through judicial decisions and interpretations rather than through legislative statutes or regulations. Common law is primarily established through precedents, meaning that the decisions made in previous court cases are referenced in future cases to guide legal reasoning and rulings.

The use of common law allows for flexibility and adaptability in the legal system, as it can evolve over time based on changing societal values and situations. This is in contrast to statutory law, which is created through legislation by governmental bodies; administrative law, which governs the activities of administrative agencies; and civil law, which generally refers to the body of laws governing private rights and obligations, often originating in codified statutes. Each of these methods of law serves distinct purposes within the legal framework, but common law specifically highlights the role of court decisions in shaping legal principles.