Common law

The term Common law is used to make several different distinctions:
 * 1) Common law as opposed to statute law. In countries like the UK, the law has various sources, including earlier decisions by judges, which are referred to as the common law.
 * 2) Common law systems like Britain and the US, as opposed to civil law systems, such as the Russian one.
 * 3) Cases in common law as opposed to cases and ideas that belong to equity which developed historically as a separate system in the High Court of Chancery in England between the 15th and 19th centuries.

Textbook references
Chapter 1 of English Law for students of English.