Western continental Europe follows code law. Code law comes out of the French legal tradition. French code law dates back to 1806. It was written under the direction of the Emperor Napoleon in an attempt to clarify the legal situation. Although French code law is based on Roman codes, it also incorporates some of the ideals of the French Revolution, such as the right to private property and the freedom to make contracts. French code law also is known as the Code Napoleon. French code law is written in a clear and concise style; it is meant for the citizen.
German code law (Burgerliche Gesetzbuch, or BOB) was enacted in 1896. It is a highly structured, precise, and detailed system. In both the French and the German systems decisions are made by expert judges who interpret the law. Previous decisions in similar situations have only limited persuasive authority.
Code law is deductive. A student of code law learns to read the law paragraph by paragraph. He or she gets the interpretation of the law from a law professor or judge. Previous cases involving a similar legal issue are not binding and not overly important in the logical thought process.