Civil and public law

Civil law is opposed to public law (criminal law as well) and it includes the following: law of contract (law of obligations), law of tort, law of property, law of succession, private law and the family law, while the areas of public law are constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law. The main difference between these two areas which is very easy to understand is that civil law governs the relations between private individuals and public law governs the relationship between individuals (citizens or companies) and the state.
In common law countries, there is a thing called a civil code, which is a systematic compilation in core areas of private law. The standards of proof in the civil court aren't as high as they are in criminal cases. Civil actions are usually started by individuals, and criminal actions are always started by the state (in England). When talking about the public law, the biggest problem I think is public/private law distinction, which is solved differently in different countries (to see how it is solved in Canada, USA and German speaking countries, follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_law )
In conclusion, I must say that civil law and public law are very important law areas, because they govern very important relationships...