Only registered users can post comments. Log in or register if you want to leave a comment. Was this information helpful? Let us know! We can`t give legal advice in the comments, so if you have any questions or need legal help, go to Legal Assistance or read our FAQ. The similarity of the two concepts means that it is often understood that they are the same thing, although the truth is that the definitions of legitimate and legality are different. It is also important to know the difference between government and administration. Let`s take a closer look. Not everything that is legal is always legitimate and not everything that is legitimate is always legal. For example, discrimination against certain groups is legal in some countries, but we can conclude that, according to our ethics and morals, it is not legitimate for us. On the contrary, it might seem legitimate to us to convict a criminal who caused the premeditated death of a person for forced labour (it seems fair to us to pay for what he did), but it would not be legal.

We already know that there is a difference between legitimacy and legality, but it is useful to analyze in more detail what is legitimate, what is legal and the legal definition. However, it must be borne in mind that, no matter how exhaustive a legal system may be, it can never regulate all the issues that may arise in reality. Therefore, there may be acts or behaviors that are not considered legal or illegal. We are then faced with a case of anarchy. If legality and legitimacy are often confused terms, the same applies to illegality and illegality. It may seem that the two concepts refer to the same thing, but in reality this is not the case. The main difference between legal and legitimate is that legality refers to something that is under a concrete reality, while legitimate is something that goes beyond the legal and is directly related within the person. But this definition may be too abstract, so it`s better to look at it from a more practical point of view.

We have already seen in the legitimate definition or legal sense that the meanings around this concept are not limited to mere legality. Underneath the concept of legitimacy lies the idea that something is not only legal, but that there is justice and reason in the execution of a particular action. The importance of legitimacy and legality always go hand in hand. These are two qualities that do not always occur in relation to the same problem. Legal is anything that is permitted or approved by law, that is, that leads to lawful behavior that is not sanctioned. This coincides with the meaning of legitimate. The illegal is that which violates legality, whether it is the law or the principle of legality itself. But beware, not all illegal acts will be punished criminally. There are acts that violate criminal law, but there can also be acts that violate labour law, civil law, administrative law, etc.

The clearest example of illegal behaviour in our legal system is prostitution. Today, this profession has no kind of regulation, so the people who exercise it cannot be sanctioned (the behavior is not illegal), but they also do not enjoy the protection that other workers have (the behavior is not legal). Are you worried about doing it alone? You may be able to get free legal help. Therefore, we already know that legality, legitimacy, illegality and illegitimate are completely different concepts that must be used correctly to avoid confusion or misinterpretation. The main difference between legality and legitimacy is that the concept of legitimacy or legitimacy also refers to an ethical and moral consideration. That is, it is a legal concept, but also a moral concept. Everything that is legal tries to guarantee a healthy coexistence, based on the ethical and moral concepts that prevail in each society. In this way, conduct that violates the provisions of the law is classified as illegal and is punishable at the administrative or even criminal level. It is legal what is determined by or in accordance with the law.

For example, it is legal to exercise the right to strike under the conditions provided for by law. An unlawful act contrary to criminal law is punishable by imprisonment, a fine or other incidental penalties. An act that violates administrative law is usually punishable by an economic fine, while an act that violates labour or civil law is generally punishable by its nullity. In the field of law, there are concepts that resemble those of non-experts in the field and can even be confused, but they are not really the same. This happens, for example, with legal and legitimate conditions. Based on everything we have seen so far about the legitimate definition, we can conclude that there is no better synonym for this concept than just, although we can also use other terms such as legal, lawful, reasonable, permissible, permitted or true. Although these are two closely related concepts, they don`t always do so. But apart from these considerations, the truth is that legal acts must be both legal and legitimate.

However, it may happen that a certain act or behavior is outside the confines of the legal system when we talk about illegality. Legal actions are those that are not regulated by law for better or worse. In this way, a legal act does not enjoy legal protection, while there is no provision for an explicit condemnation. There are four types of subpoenas: (1) a document court order, which requires you to produce certain documents or items; (2) subpoenas asking you to participate in testimony and answer questions; (3) A subpoena to a trial or hearing asking you to appear as a witness at the trial or hearing to testify; and (4) grand jury subpoenas, which are used to gather evidence to decide whether crimes have been committed.