Law and methods studying legal history is a broad and interdisciplinary field that examines how law and legal institutions change over time, and how they are influenced by and affect social, cultural, political, and economic contexts. Legal history can help us understand the origins, evolution, and impact of legal ideas, doctrines, and systems, as well as the role of lawyers, judges, legislators, and ordinary people in shaping and applying the law. Legal history can also enrich our grasp of current legal problems and empower us to imagine new alternatives.
Some of the topics that legal history covers include: the legal framework of ancient civilizations, the legal traditions of different religions and cultures, the development of common law and civil law systems, the history of constitutional law and human rights, the history of criminal law and justice, the history of legal profession and education, the history of international law and organizations, and the history of specific areas of law such as property, contract, tort, family, labor, environmental, and intellectual property law.