Abatement
A reduction in some amount that is owed, usually granted by the person to whom the debt is owed. -
Abbacinare
A barbaric form of corporal punishment meted out in the middle ages where persons would be permanently blinded by the pressing of hot irons to the open eyes. -
Abduction
To take someone away from a place without that person's consent or by fraud. -
Abet
Encouraging another to commit a crime. -
Ab initio
Latin: from the start. -
Absolute
Final, perfected, complete and unconditional. -
Absolute Privilege
An absolute defence to an otherwise defamatory statement because of the venue or context which the statement was made. -
Acceleration clause
A clause in a contract that states that if a payment is missed, or some other default occurs (such as the debtor becoming insolvent), then the contract is fully due immediately. -
Acceptance
One of three requisites to a valid contract under common law (the other two being an offer and consideration). -
Accord and Satisfaction
A term of contract law by which one party, having complied with its obligation under a contract, accepts some type of compensation from the other party (usually money and of a lesser value) in lieu of enforcing the contract and holding the other party to their obligation. -
Accretion
The imperceptible and gradual addition to land by the slow action of water. -
Acquiescence
Action or inaction which binds a person legally even though it was not intended as such. -
Act
A bill which has passed through the various legislative steps required for it and which has become law -
Act of God
An event which is caused solely by the effect of nature or natural causes and without any interference by humans whatsoever. -
Actus reus
Actus reus: the prohibited act. -
Actus reus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea
Conviction of a crime requires proof of a criminal act and intent. -
Ad colligendum bona
When a person dies and there is no apparent executor or administrator, a person can be appointed by Court order and for the limited and sole purpose of collecting, inventorizing and preserving the assets of the deceased until an appropriate full-fledged administrator can be found or appointed. -
Ad damnum
Latin: refers to the parts or sections of a petition that speaks to the damages that were suffered and claimed by the plaintiff. The ad damnum part of a petition will usually suggest an amount in dollars that the plaintiff asks the court to award. -
Addendum
An attachment to a written document. -
Ademption
When property identified in a will cannot be given to the beneficiary because it no longer belonged to the deceased at the time of death. -
Adhesion contract
A fine-print consumer form contract which is generally given to consumers at point-of-sale, with no opportunity for negotiation as to it's terms, and which, typically, sets out the terms and conditions of the sale, usually to the advantage of the seller. -
Ad hoc
Latin: for this purpose; for a specific purpose. -
Ad infinitum
Latin: forever; without limit; indefinitely. -
Ad litem
Latin: for the suit -
Administrative law
Administrative law is that body of law which applies for hearings before quasi-judicial or quasi-judicial organizations or administrative tribunals supplement the rules of natural justice with their own detailed rules of procedure. -
Administrative tribunal
Hybrid adjudicating authorities which straddle the line between government and the courts. -
Administrator
A person who administers the estate of a person deceased. -
Adoption
To take as one's own. -
ADR
Abbreviation for alternative dispute resolution. -
Adultery
Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not their married spouse. -
Adverse possession
The possession of land, without legal title, for a period of time sufficient to become recognized as legal owner. -
Affidavit
A statement which before being signed, the person signing takes an oath that the contents are, to the best of their knowledge, true. -
Agency Law
The law of agents and their principals as between themselves and third-parties. -
Agent
A person who has received the power to act on behalf of another, binding that other person as if he or she were themselves making the decisions. -
Aggravated damages
Damages awarded by a court to reflect the exceptional harm done to a plaintiff of a tort action. -
Alimony
An amount given to one spouse to another while they are separated. -
Alliance
A military treaty between two or more states, providing for a mutually-planned offensive, or for assistance in the case of attack on any member. -
Alienate
To sell or give completely and without reserve; to transfer title to somebody else. -
Allodial
A kind of land ownership that is unfetterred, outright and absolute. -
Allonge
A piece of paper which has been attached to a contract, a check or any promissory note, on which to add signatures because there is not enough room on the main document. -
Alternative dispute resolution
Also known as 'ADR'; methods by which legal conflicts and disputes are resolved privately and other than through litigation in the public courts, usually through one of two forms: mediation or arbitration. -
Amalgamation
The merging of two things together to form one such as the amalgamation of different companies to form a single company. -
Ambassador
A citizen that has been officially asked by their country to live in another country in order to legally represent it. -
Ambulatory
something which is not cast in stone; which can be changed or revoked, such as a will. -
Amend
To change, to revise, usually to the wording of a written document such as legislation. -
Amicus curiae
Latin: friend of the court. -
Anarchy
Absence of law. -
And/Or
And/or means any combination of two options; one, the other (either), or both. -
Animus contrahendi
Latin: an intention to contract. -
Annulment
To make void; to cancel an event or judicial proceeding both retroactively and for the future. -
Antedate
To date back; retroactively. To date a document to a time before it was written. -
Antenuptial
An event or document which pre-dates a marriage. -
Anti-trust
(USA) 'Anti-trust' legislation is designed to prevent businesses from price-setting or other secret collaboration which circumvents the natural forces of a free market economy and gives those engaging in the anti-trust conduct, a covert competitive edge. -
Appeal
To ask a more senior court or person to review a decision of a subordinate court or person. -
Appearance
The act of showing up in court as either plaintiff, defendant, accused or any other party to a civil or criminal suit. -
Apportionment
The division and distribution of something into proportionate parts; to each according to their share. -
Appurtenance
Something that, although detached, stands as part of another thing. -
Arbitration
An agreement to submit a dispute for a hearing and binding decision by a third-party, an arbitrator(s), who is neither a judge or a Court -
Arraignment
In USA criminal law, the formal appearance of an accused person to hear, and to receive a copy of, the charge against him or her, in the presence of a judge, and to then enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. -
Arrears
A debt that is not paid on the due date adds up and accumulates as 'arrears'. -
Arson
Some countries define 'arson' as the intentional setting of a fire to a building in which people live; others include as 'arson' the intentionally setting of a fire to any building. -
Assault
The touching of another person with an intent to harm, without that person's consent. -
Assign
To give, to transfer responsibility, to another. -
Assumpsit
Medieval era action for breach of contract. -
Attorn or Attornment
To consent, implicitly or explicitly, to a transfer of a right. -
Attorney
An alternate word for lawyers or barrister and solicitor, used mostly in the USA. -
Audi alteram partem
Latin; literally 'hear the other side'. -
Autrefois acquit
French word now part of English criminal law terminology. -
A vinculo matrimonii
Latin: of marriage. -
Avulsion
Land accretion that occurs by the erosion or addition of ones land by the sudden and unexpected change in a river stream such as a flash flood. -
Avunculus
Latin: a mother's brother. 'Avuncular' refers to an uncle. -