From the smallest tribes up to the largest nations. The function of laws is to create an objective standard that people can refer to in the case of disputes or other problems.

Where things get complex is how these laws are created and enforced. It varies widely, but the most successful societies are those where the general consensus is that the laws are fair and work for the society. How they're created is almost beside the point after that.

It gets even more complex when you need to decide if the rules are too restricting on human freedom. Not too many people complain about things like rules of the road--does anyone really feel they've lost their freedom because they can't go the wrong way on a freeway or ignore a red light? This is true of most reasonable rules. Unfortunately, most societies don't know when to quit. Where the line should be drawn is not an easy question to answer except on a case-by-case basis.

One possible danger sign is the sheer volume of the law. Many classic examples of comprehensive rules on how society should work seem to be relatively short. The Constitution. The Magna Carta. The laws of Hammurabi. The Althing of Iceland required the Lawspeaker to recite aloud all the laws active at that time. Try that in modern America.

The Ten Commandments were brief and to the point, but God laid down a lot of other rules in Leviticus and elsewhere, never mind those added over the centuries by Talmudic scholars, so this isn't a very good example.