The object of research is division of law. This study is focused on the fact that, in addition to branches in the structure of law, legal norms can be divided into two large groups: private and public law. The division of the system of to public and private is the most researched and widely recognized in jurisprudence. The purpose of the article to provide criteria for public and law private law division. The division of the right to public and private is universally recognized, however criteria for the division remain controversial. Goal of this study is to prove that the main criteria for the division of the law to private and public depends on the relationships and interest of the subjects of the law and their legal relationship. According to this, private law is governed by the rules and principles of the legal relationship between individuals and legal entities that satisfy an individual interest. In the course of research, the author proposed the definition of public and private law and updated the criteria for their division. In the course of the research it was recognized that there are different approaches to the division of the right to private and public.