private law

noun

1. a branch of law dealing with the legal relationships of private individuals.

2. a statute affecting only one person or a small number of persons directly.

private law

noun

1. the branch of law that deals with the rights and duties of private individuals and the relations between them Compare public law

Word History and Origins

Origin of private law¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

At the same, he’s started increasingly outsourcing major cases to private law firms.

From Salon

He worked for private law firms between 1973 and 1996.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's an individual against a business organisation which can adopt a number of tactics to avoid private law actions," he said.

From BBC

Jin Hee Lee, strategic initiatives director at the Legal Defense Fund, is concerned not only about the surge in cases private law firms and nonprofits like hers will face but also about budget cuts that have left resources scarce to fight prolonged court battles.

From Los Angeles Times

This past week has seen firings at the Pentagon, an Executive Order targeting a private law firm, the installation of a podcaster and January 6 denialist as #2 at the FBI, and an incident in which an audience member at an Idaho townhall was wrestled to the ground and led away in zip ties by private security that answer to no lawful police entity.

From Slate