Comparison

Read two legal systems against each other

Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.

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Comparison of selected legal systems
Attribute	United KingdomReviewed	UruguayReviewed
Legal family	Common law	Civil law
System of government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy	Unitary presidential republic
Constitution	Uncodified constitution	Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
In force since	1215	1967
Capital	London	Montevideo
Official languages	English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic	Spanish
Currency	Pound Sterling (GBP)	Uruguayan peso (UYU)
Population	68,500,000	3,400,000
Division of powers	The executive sits inside the legislature. Judicial independence was strengthened in 2005 when the Supreme Court replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.	Unitary. Nineteen departments have elected intendentes and juntas with administrative and local taxing competence, and municipalities were added in 2010, but all legislative power belongs to the General Assembly.
How law is made	First reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage and third reading in each House, then ping-pong on amendments, then Royal Assent.	Bills pass both chambers; disagreement is resolved by the General Assembly sitting jointly. The executive may veto, overcome by three-fifths of the joint assembly. Distinctively, 25% of registered voters can force a referendum to repeal a statute within one year of promulgation, and 10% can initiate a constitutional plebiscite.
Legal profession	A split profession: solicitors (regulated by the SRA) advise and conduct litigation; barristers (Bar Standards Board) hold rights of audience in the higher courts.	A degree from the Universidad de la República or an accredited private faculty confers the title of abogado, with registration by the Supreme Court. Membership of the Colegio de Abogados del Uruguay is voluntary; the Supreme Court exercises discipline. Escribanos públicos are a separate profession with exclusive competence over conveyancing.

A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.