Roman legal procedure

Roman legal procedure, long evolving system used in the Roman courts, which in its later stages formed the basis for modern procedure in civil-law countries. There were three main, overlapping stages of development: the legis actiones, which dates from the 5th-century bce law code known as the Twelve Tables until the late 2nd century; the formulary system, from the 2nd century bce until the end of the Classical period (3rd century ce); and the cognitio...