Civil law the area of law in common law countries governing relations between private individuals; it includes the private law in common law systems, as well as non-criminal statutes regulating actions of individuals and corporations in a society. In this usage the term divides the relevant area of law from criminal law and other areas of public law. A civil code is a systematic compilation of civil law in core areas of private law in common law countries.

The United States federal government (as opposed to the states) has a variant on a common law system. The courts only act as interpreters of statutes and the constitution, but unlike state courts, do not act as an independent source of common law. Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 78 (1938) ("There is no federal general common law.").