Final review (2): civil and labour law, the legal system
Civil law regulates property and personal non-property relations. A person has full capacity at 18; at 14–18 partial capacity, at 6–14 only small everyday deals, and for a child under 6 the parents act; emancipation is possible from 16. A power of attorney is given for at most 3 years, 1 year if no term is stated, and it must be dated. The owner possesses, uses and disposes. If a consumer buys a poor-quality product, the consumer may demand replacement, repair, a price reduction or a refund; warranty and shelf-life periods are stated in documents, and a proper-quality product can be exchanged within the short period set by law. Copyright arises by itself when a work is created. A civil case begins in court with a claim: stages follow in order, and the complaint routes are appeal and cassation. In labour law an employment contract is written; weekly working time is 40 hours, 36 for minors (16–18) and 24 (under 16); they are not involved in night, overtime or day-off work; leave is at least 21 calendar days (new Code). A map of the branches of law: constitutional, administrative, civil, labour, family, criminal and procedural law. Criminal law (the Criminal Code was adopted on 22 September 1994 and entered into force on 1 April 1995) defines crimes and punishment: liability is usually from 16 and for certain grave crimes from 14. Family law (the Family Code, 1998) regulates marriage and family relations; the marriage age is 18. These two branches are not given as separate topics in the textbook, so they are only briefly noted here; it is also worth remembering that laws change over time.
Final analysis: the class sorts 6 small cases (a rent dispute, a poor-quality phone, unlawful dismissal, breach of order, a copy of a work, a minor’s deal) into the matching branch of law and says which body to apply to; no real persons.