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Substantive law refers to the segment of law that primarily concerns the rights and duties of individuals and collective society. It is the foundational aspect of the law that governs how members of society are supposed to behave in their relationships with one another and establishes the legal frameworks for various areas such as contracts, torts, property, and family law.

This body of law is distinguished from procedural law, which sets out the methods and processes for enforcing the rights and duties defined by substantive law. While procedural law dictates how the legal system operates and how legal proceedings are conducted, substantive law is what peoples' rights and responsibilities are, forming the core of legal principles applied in litigation and legal discourse.

The other options reflect different aspects of law that are important but do not encapsulate the essence of substantive law. For instance, the definition of processes and procedures is vital to the legal system overall, but it does not define rights and duties, which is the primary focus of substantive law. Similarly, rules governing court conduct, while essential for maintaining order within the legal process, do not address the substantive issue of what individuals are legally required or allowed to do in society. Lastly, a focus on criminal offenses is a narrower scope within the larger framework of substantive law, as substantive