Civil law is a legal system based on comprehensive written codes that set out legal principles, as opposed to common law systems that rely heavily on court precedents. Quebec uses a civil law system for private matters (contracts, property, family law) based on the Civil Code of Quebec, which traces its heritage to French law. The rest of Canada uses common law for these matters. The distinction affects how courts interpret laws and how legal education works. Both systems coexist in Canada—Quebec's civil law for provincial matters, common law elsewhere, and federal law (including criminal law and some commercial law) applying uniformly. This bijural (two-law) heritage is unique to Canada.