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Civil law often results in monetary compensation or injunctions, while criminal law can lead to imprisonment, fines, or capital punishment.

Civil law requires a preponderance of the evidence, whereas criminal law requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Civil cases are usually initiated by individuals or entities, whereas criminal cases are initiated by the government through a prosecutor.

Civil lawyers often negotiate settlements; criminal lawyers may focus more on trial advocacy and procedural challenges.

In civil law, both parties can appeal, but in criminal law, only the defendant has the right to an appeal.

In criminal law, defendants have the right to a court-appointed attorney if they cannot afford one; this is not generally the case in civil law.

Civil law resolves disputes between private parties, while criminal law punishes offenders who commit crimes against the state.

The right against self-incrimination is more pronounced in criminal law than in civil law.

Civil law provides equitable remedies and damages, criminal law often involves punitive measures such as incarceration.

Civil litigants have broader rights to discovery compared to the more limited discovery in criminal law.

Civil law involves private parties, known as the plaintiff and defendant. Criminal law involves the government prosecuting the accused.

Civil cases follow a less stringent process compared to the more formal and rigorous criminal trials.

Civil trials may be under seal or private, while criminal trials are almost always open to the public.

Criminal cases typically require larger juries and unanimous verdicts, while civil cases may have smaller juries and non-unanimous verdicts.

Civil law allows for mechanisms like summary judgment; criminal law includes pretrial motions like suppression hearings.

Criminal law has a broader social impact due to its focus on public safety and societal norms, whereas civil law often affects only the involved parties.

Jury trials are more common in criminal cases than in civil cases, where bench trials may prevail.

Civil law often has statute of limitations that can preclude the filing of a lawsuit after a certain period, whereas criminal law may have no limitation for serious crimes.

Civil cases are more likely to be settled out of court than criminal cases, which often proceed to trial.