What the civil law is:
In the 5th and 6th centuries CE, western and central Europe were dominated by Germanic peoples, especially those who had overrun the Roman Empire. Among them were the Anglo-Saxons of England, the Franks of western Germany and northern France, the Burgundians, the Visigoths of southern France and Spain, and the Lombards of Italy. Although the traditions of Roman law endured for some time, Germanic customs came to prevail in most regions.
In the Renaissance period, Italy was strongly promoting cilvil law because the trend of rational thinking. Different from the old Roman Law, civil law has some significant change like below.
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A comprehensive system of rules and principles usually arranged in codes and easily accessible to citizens and jurists.
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A well organized system that favors cooperation, order, and predictability, based on a logical and dynamic taxonomy developed from Roman law and reflected in the structure of the codes.
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An adaptable system, with civil codes avoiding excessive detail and containing general clauses that permit adaptation to change.
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A primarily legislative system, yet leaving room for the judiciary to adjust rules to social change and new needs, by way of interpretation and creative jurisprudence.