The law deals with two kinds of cases.
Civil cases involve conflicts between people or institutions such as businesses.
A civil case usually begins when a person or organization determines that a problem can't be solved without the intervention of the courts. Criminal cases involve enforcing public codes of behavior as embodied in the laws, with the government prosecuting individuals or institutions. In a criminal case, the government brings charges against the person alleged to have committed the crime. Cases involving contracts are also frequent. An auto collision gives rise to a civil case if one driver sues the other, or if a passenger in one of the cars sues either driver.