In terms of contemporary legal systems, the Spanish system follows what is known as the continental model. The basic features of this model are:
• a separation between the public and private sectors of the legal system, which is divided into sections covering constitutional, criminal, administrative, tax, civil, commercial, labour and procedural matters;
• primacy of statute law and written law, within the system of sources as defined in the Civil Code, namely statute, custom and the general principles of law;
• hierarchical organisation of the judiciary with a system of judicial appeals.…
