Like one’s rights in the use of Roman numerals (5)
I believe the answer is:
civil
'like one's rights' is the definition.
(as in civil rights)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
(Other definitions for civil that I've seen before include "Courteously polite" , "Urbane" , "Not rude" , "Nonviolent refusal to obey laws" , "Polite and non-military" .)