The term gypsy law is used to describe the set of rules perceived by the gypsies to be binding, the social control strategies within their groups and the mechanisms that have developed for solving disputes within the community. Since gypsy law is oral, anthropology of law probably offers the most appropriate perspective for its examination, in both theoretical and methodological terms. As the structure of the community’s law is naturally influenced by several aspects of gypsy culture, they are analysed here in brief: the nomadic lifestyle, diaspora and fragmentation that have long been characteristic features of the gypsy people; the social organisation found in the great majority of groups and, lastly, the family, an institution of fundamental significance, especially in determining the rôle played by each individual within the group.