The service contract in Roman law

Abstract

The service contract has been existing since Roman law. It originates from the locatio operis conductio contracts. It was the contract by which one party a conductor - was obliged to perform a specific job, such as a shoe making, wine transportation, etc., and the other party, a locator was obliged to pay the specified fee. It is very interesting that in Roman law a clear distinction was made between ordinary activities and those required a special education. In fact, in Roman law, jobs demanded a greater knowledge, usually possessed by highly educated people (teachers, lawyers), were not the subject of locatio operis condutio but mandatum which was considered to be a free contract. This paper will examine the origin of the service contract in Roman law, because it represents a basis and foundation of today's European legal system, and in addition, it is the most developed and comprehensive legal system of the ancient times.