1. Positivism
2. Historical School
3. Natural School
4. Sociological School
5. Marxist School
According to Hart, Law is a coercive instrument for regulating social behaviour. This is the Command Theory, which assumes that existence of a sovereign, who has the power to impose penalties/sanctions for compliance, which is not necessarily the case.
Marxists postulate the theory that law serves the interests of the dominant classes in society
This explanation of law cannot pretend to be of universal application.
According to Salmond: Law is a body of rules or principles recognized and applied by the state in the administration of justice.
Law has been defined as a body of binding rules of human conduct prescribed by human beings for the obedience of human beings.
In summary therefore, law consists of binding rules. It can therefore be defined as an aggregate or conglomeration of rules enforced by courts of law at a given time.
Rules of law are certain and originate from parliament and various religious practices of a society.
