ABSTRACT
Law casts its shadow on virtually all areas of human conflict. The dissolution of marriage and the resolution of familial obligations and property rights upon the breakdown of personal relationships occur against the backdrop of a legal framework. Conflicts with a state over access to public resources or the rights of defendants in a criminal trial are regulated and resolved within the context of constitutionally binding legal norms and domestic human rights instruments. Tensions between competing corporate enterprises over injury to financial interests or access to markets are determined in accordance with the legal principles that govern contracts and commercial affairs. Law exerts its force in almost all areas where interests collide and some form of conflict ensues.
