English For Lawyers

Select a word:

D.A.

n. slang for District Attorney.

d.b.a.

n. short for "doing business as," when a person or entity uses a...

D.U.I.

n. short for driving under the influence of alcohol.

D.W.I.

n. 1) short for driving while intoxicated. 2) abbreviation for dy...

damages

n. the amount of money which a plaintiff (the person suing) may b...

dangerous

adj. unsafe, hazardous, fraught with risk. It can be negligence f...

dangerous weapon

n. any gun, knife, sword, crossbow, slingshot or other weapon whi...

date rape

n. forcible sexual intercourse by a male acquaintance of a woman,...

day in court

n. popular term for everyone's opportunity to bring a lawsuit or...

de facto

adj. Latin for "in fact." Often used in place of "actual" to show...

de facto corporation

n. a company which operates as if it were a corporation although...

de jure

adj. Latin for "lawful," as distinguished from de facto (actual).

de jure corporation

n. a corporation in good standing under the law, as compared to a...

de minimis

adj. (dee-minnie-miss) Latin for "of minimum importance" or "trif...

de novo

adj. Latin for "anew," which means starting over, as in a trial d...

deadly weapon

n. any weapon which can kill. This includes not only weapons whic...

dealer

n. anyone who buys goods or property for the purpose of selling a...

death penalty

n. the sentence of execution for murder and some other capital cr...

death row

n. nickname for that portion of a prison in which prisoners are h...

debenture

n. a form of bond certificate issued by a corporation to show fun...

debt

n. 1) a sum of money due to another. 2) obligation to deliver par...

debtor

n. 1) a person or entity that owes an amount of money or favor to...

debtor in possession

n. in bankruptcy proceedings when a debtor has filed for the righ...

deceased

1) adj. dead. 2) n. the person who has died, as used in the handl...

decedent

n. the person who has died, sometimes referred to as the "decease...

deceit

n. dishonesty, fraudulent conduct, false statements made knowing...

deception

n. the act of misleading another through intentionally false stat...

decide

v. for a judge, arbitrator, court of appeals or other magistrate...

decision

n. judgment, decree or determination of findings of fact and/or o...

declarant

n. the person making a statement, usually written and signed by t...

declaration

n. 1) any statement made, particularly in writing. 2) a written s...

declaration of mailing

n. a form stating that a particular document has been mailed to a...

declaration of trust

n. the document signed by a trustor (settlor) creating a trust in...

declaratory judgment

n. a judgment of a court which determines the rights of parties w...

declaratory relief

n. a judge's determination (called a "declaratory judgment") of t...

decree

n. in general, synonymous with judgment. However, in some areas o...

decriminalization

n. the repeal or amendment of statutes which made certain acts cr...

dedication

n. the giving of land by a private person or entity to the govern...

deduction

n. an expenditure which an income tax payer may subtract from gro...

deed

1) n. the written document which transfers title (ownership) or a...

deed of trust

n. a document which pledges real property to secure a loan, used...

defalcation

v. from Latin for "deduction," withholding or misappropriating fu...

defamation

n. the act of making untrue statements about another which damage...

default

1) n. failure to respond to a summons and complaint served on a p...

default judgment

n. if a defendant in a lawsuit fails to respond to a complaint in...

defeasance

n. an antiquated word for a document which terminates the effect...

defect

n. an imperfection, quite often so great that the machinery or wr...

defective

adj. not being capable of fulfilling its function, ranging from a...

defective title

n. an apparent title to real property which fails because a claim...

defendant

n. 1) the party sued in a civil lawsuit or the party charged with...

defense

n. 1) a general term for the effort of an attorney representing a...

defense attorney

n. 1) the attorney representing the defendant in a lawsuit or cri...

deficiency judgment

n. a judgment for an amount not covered by the value of security...

deficit

n. a shortage, less than is due, or in the case of a business or...

defraud

v. to use deceit, falsehoods or trickery to obtain money, an obje...

degree of kinship

n. the level of relationship between two persons related by blood...

delayed exchange

n. an exchange of property to put off capital gain taxes, in whic...

delegate

1) v. to assign authority to another. 2) n. a person chosen to at...

deleterious

adj. harmful.

deliberate

1) adj. (dee-lib-er-et) done with care and intention or premedita...

deliberation

n. the act of considering, discussing and, hopefully, reaching a...

delinquent

1) adj. not paid in full amount or on time. 2) n. short for an un...

deliver

v. to actually hand an object, money or document to another.

delivery

n. the actual handing to another of an object, money or document...

demand

1) v. to claim as a need, requirement or entitlement, as in to de...

demand note

n. a promissory note which is payable any time the holder of the...

demise

1) v. an old-fashioned expression meaning to lease or transfer (c...

demonstrative evidence

n. actual objects, pictures, models and other devices which are s...

demurrer

n. (dee-muhr-ur) a written response to a complaint filed in a law...

denial

n. a statement in the defendant's answer to a complaint in a laws...

dependent

1) n. a person receiving support from another person (such as a p...

depletion

n. when a natural resource (particularly oil) is being used up. T...

deponent

n. a person testifying (stating answers in response to questions)...

deportation

n. the act of expelling a foreigner from a country, usually becau...

depose

v. 1) to ask questions of a witness or a party to a lawsuit at a...

deposition

n. the taking and recording of testimony of a witness under oath...

depreciate

v. in accounting, to reduce the value of an asset each year theor...

depreciation

n. the actual or theoretical gradual loss of value of an asset (p...

depreciation reserve

n. a business fund in which the probable replacement cost of equi...

derelict

n. something or someone who is abandoned, such as a ship left to...

dereliction

n. 1) abandoning possession, which is sometimes used in the phras...

derivative action

n. a lawsuit brought by a corporation shareholder against the dir...

descent

n. the rules of inheritance established by law in cases in which...

descent and distribution

n. the system of laws which determine who will inherit and divide...

desert

v. to intentionally abandon a person or thing.

desertion

n. the act of abandoning, particularly leaving one's spouse and/o...

determinable

adj. defining something which may be terminated upon the occurren...

deuce

n. slang term for a drunk driving conviction. The term originated...

devise

1) v. an old-fashioned word for giving real property by a will, a...

devisee

n. a person who receives a gift of real property by a will. The d...

devolution

n. 1) the transfer of title to real property by the automatic ope...

devolve

v. when property is automatically transferred from one party to a...

dicta

n. the plural of dictum.

dictum

n. Latin for "remark," a comment by a judge in a decision or ruli...

diligence

n. reasonable care or attention to a matter, which is good enough...

diminished capacity

n. essentially a psychological term which has found its way into...

diminution in value

n. in the event of a breach of contract, the decrease in value of...

direct and proximate cause

n. the immediate reason damage was caused by an act or omission (...

direct evidence

n. real, tangible or clear evidence of a fact, happening or thing...

direct examination

n. the first questioning of a witness during a trial or depositio...

directed verdict

n. a verdict by a jury based on the specific direction by a trial...

director

n. a member of the governing board of a corporation or associatio...

disability

n. 1) a condition which prevents one from performing all usual ph...

disbar

v. to remove an attorney from the list of practicing attorneys fo...

disbarment

n. the ultimate discipline of an attorney, which is taking away h...

discharge

v. 1) to perform one's duties. 2) to dismiss someone from a job....

discharge in bankruptcy

n. an order given by the bankruptcy judge, at the conclusion of a...

disclaimer

n. 1) denial or renunciation by someone of his/her title to prope...

discount

n. the payment of less than the full amount due on a promissory n...

discovery

n. the entire efforts of a party to a lawsuit and his/her/its att...

discretion

n. the power of a judge, public official or a private party (unde...

discrimination

n. unequal treatment of persons, for a reason which has nothing t...

disfigure

v. to cause permanent change in a person's body, particularly by...

dishonor

v. to refuse to pay the face amount of a check or the amount due...

disinherit

v. to intentionally take actions to guarantee that a person who w...

disinheritance

n. the act of disinheriting.

disjunctive allegations

n. the attempt to claim in a civil lawsuit that one thing "or" an...

dismiss

v. the ruling by a judge that all or a portion (one or more of th...

dismissal

n. 1) the act of voluntarily terminating a criminal prosecution o...

dismissal with prejudice

n.

dismissal without prejudice

n.

disorderly conduct

n. 1) actions that disturb others. 2) minor criminal offenses, su...

disorderly house

n. 1) polite term for house of prostitution. 2) place of illegal...

disposing mind and memory

n. the mental ability to understand in general what one possesses...

disposition

n. the court's final determination of a lawsuit or criminal charg...

dispossess

v. to eject someone from real property, either legally or by self...

dissent

n. 1) the opinion of a judge of a court of appeals, including the...

dissenting opinion

n.

dissolution

n. modern, gentler sounding, term for divorce, officially used in...

dissolution of corporation

n. termination of a corporation, either a) voluntarily by resolut...

distinguish

v. to argue that the rule in one appeals court decision does not...

distress

1) n. the self-help taking of another's possessions in order to f...

distribute

v. 1) the dividing up of those assets of an estate or trust when...

distribution

n. the act of dividing up the assets of an estate or trust, or pa...

District Attorney (D.A.)

n. an elected official of a county or a designated district with...

district court

n. 1) in the federal court system, a trial court for federal case...

disturbing the peace

n. upsetting the quiet and good order particularly through loud n...

diversion

n. in criminal procedure, a system for giving a chance for a firs...

diversity of citizenship

n. when opposing parties in a lawsuit are citizens of different s...

divestiture

n. the court-ordered or voluntary giving up of a possession or ri...

divestment

n. the act of stripping one's investment from an entity.

dividend

n. a portion of profit, usually based on the number of shares of...

divorce

1) n. the termination of a marriage by legal action, requiring a...

DNA

n. scientifically, deoxyribonucleic acid, a chromosomal double ch...

docket

1) n. the cases on a court calendar. 2) n. brief notes, usually w...

document

n. a popular generic word among lawyers for any paper with writin...

documentary evidence

n. any document (paper) which is presented and allowed as evidenc...

doing business

v. carrying on the normal activities of a corporation on a regula...

domestic partners

n. unmarried couples, including homosexuals, living together in l...

domestic relations

n. a polite term for the legal field of divorce, dissolution, ann...

domestic violence

n. the continuing crime and problem of the physical beating of a...

domicile

n. the place where a person has his/her permanent principal home...

dominant estate

n. in real estate law, the property retained when the owner split...

dominant tenement

n.

donation

n. gift. If made to a qualified non-profit charitable, religious,...

donative intent

n. conscious desire to make a gift, as distinguished from giving...

donee

n. a person or entity receiving an outright gift or donation.

donor

n. a person or entity making a gift or donation.

double jeopardy

n. placing someone on trial a second time for an offense for whic...

double taxation

n. taxation of the same property for the same purpose twice in on...

dower

n. an old English common law right of a widow to one-third of her...

dowry

n. from the days when a groom expected to profit from a marriage,...

draft

1) n. a bill of exchange or check in which one party (including a...

dram shop rule

n. a statute (Dram Shop Act) or case law in 38 states which makes...

draw

v. 1) to prepare any document. 2) specifically to have prepared a...

drawee

n. the party who is to be paid on a bill of exchange or check.

drawer

n. the person who signs a bill of exchange.

driving under the influence (DUI)

n. commonly called "drunk driving," it refers to operating a moto...

driving while intoxicated

n.

drop dead date

n. a provision in a contract or a court order which sets the last...

due

n. and adj. owed as of a specific date. A popular legal redundanc...

due and owing

adj.

due care

n. the conduct that a reasonable man or woman will exercise in a...

due process of law

n. a fundamental principle of fairness in all legal matters, both...

due, owing and unpaid

adj.

duress

n. the use of force, false imprisonment or threats (and possibly...

duty

n. 1) a legal obligation, the breach of which can result in liabi...

duty of care

n. a requirement that a person act toward others and the public w...

dying declaration

n. the statement of a mortally injured person who is aware he/she...

Select a word:

earnest payment

n. a deposit paid to demonstrate commitment and to bind a contrac...

easement

n. the right to use the real property of another for a specific p...

egress

n. way of departure. A word usually used in conjunction with "acc...

EIR

n. popular acronym for environmental impact report, required by m...

ejectment

n. a lawsuit brought to remove a party who is occupying real prop...

ejusdem generis

(eh-youse-dem generous) v adj. Latin for "of the same kind," used...

elder law

n. a specialty in legal practice, covering estate planning, wills...

election of remedies

n. an outmoded requirement that if a plaintiff (party filing suit...

election under the will

n. in those states which have statutes which give a widow a parti...

eleemosynary

(eh-luh-moss-uh-nary) adj. charitable, as applied to a purpose or...

element

n. 1) an essential requirement to a cause of action (the right to...

emancipation

n. freeing a minor child from the control of parents and allowing...

embezzlement

n. the crime of stealing the funds or property of an employer, co...

embezzler

n. a person who commits the crime of embezzlement by fraudulently...

emblements

n. crops to which a tenant who cultivated the land is entitled by...

emergency

n. a sudden, unforeseen happening which requires action to correc...

eminent domain

n. the power of a governmental entity (federal, state, county or...

emolument

n. salary, wages and benefits paid for employment or an office he...

emotional distress

n. an increasingly popular basis for a claim of damages in lawsui...

employee

n. a person who is hired for a wage, salary, fee or payment to pe...

employer

n. a person or entity which hires the services of another called...

employment

n. the hiring of a person for compensation. It is important to de...

en banc

(on bonk) French for "in the bench," it signifies a decision by t...

enabling clause

n. a provision in a new statute which empowers a particular publi...

enclosure

(inclosure)n. land bounded by a fence, wall, hedge, ditch or othe...

encroach

v. to build a structure which is in whole or in part across the p...

encroachment

n. the act of building a structure which is in whole or in part o...

encumbrance

(incumbrance)n. a general term for any claim or lien on a parcel...

endorse (indorse)

v. 1) to sign one's name to the back of a check, bill of exchange...

endorsement

(indorsement)n. 1) the act of the owner or payee signing his/her...

endowment

n. the creation of a fund, often by gift or bequest from a dead p...

enjoin

v. for a court to order that someone either do a specific act, ce...

enjoyment

n. 1) to exercise a right. 2) pleasure. 3) the use of funds or oc...

enter a judgment

v. to officially record a judgment on the "judgment roll," which...

entity

n. a general term for any institution, company, corporation, part...

entrapment

n. in criminal law, the act of law enforcement officers or govern...

entry of judgment

n. the placement of a judgment on the official roll of judgments.

environmental impact report

n. a study of all the factors which a land development or constru...

environmental law

n. a body of state and federal statutes intended to protect the e...

equal opportunity

1) n. a right supposedly guaranteed by both federal and many stat...

equal protection of the law

n. the right of all persons to have the same access to the law an...

equitable

adj. 1) just, based on fairness and not legal technicalities. 2)...

equitable estoppel

n. where a court will not grant a judgment or other legal relief...

equitable lien

n. a lien on property imposed by a court in order to achieve fair...

equity

n. 1) a venerable group of rights and procedures to provide fairn...

equity of redemption

n. the right of a mortgagor (person owing on a loan or debt again...

equivalent

: n., adj. equal in value, force or meaning.

ergo

(air-go)conj. Latin for "therefore," often used in legal writings...

erroneous

adj. 1) in error, wrong. 2) not according to established law, par...

error

n. a mistake by a judge in procedure or in substantive law, durin...

errors and omissions

n. short hand for malpractice insurance which gives physicians, a...

escalator clause

n. a provision in a lease or other agreement in which rent, insta...

escape clause

n. a provision in a contract which allows one of the parties to b...

escheat

n. from old French eschete, which meant "that which falls to one,...

escrow

1) n. a form of account held by an "escrow agent" (an individual,...

escrow agent

n. a person or entity holding documents and funds in a transfer o...

escrow instructions

n. the written instructions by buyer and seller of real estate gi...

espionage

n. the crime of spying on the federal government and/or transferr...

esquire

n. a form of address showing that someone is an attorney, usually...

estate

n. 1) all that one owns in real estate and other assets. 2) commo...

estate by entirety

n. tenancy by the entirety

estate tax

n. generally a federal tax on the transfer of a dead person's ass...

estop

v. to halt, bar or prevent.

estoppel

n. a bar or impediment (obstruction) which precludes a person fro...

et al.

n. abbreviation for the Latin phrase et alii meaning "and others....

et seq.

(et seek) n. abbreviation for the Latin phrase et sequentes meani...

et ux.

(et uhks) n. abbreviation for the Latin words et uxor meaning "an...

evasion of tax

n. the intentional attempt to avoid paying taxes through fraudule...

eviction

n. a generic word for the act of expelling (kicking out) someone...

evidence

n. every type of proof legally presented at trial (allowed by the...

ex delicto

(ex dee-lick-toe)adj. Latin for a reference to something that ari...

ex officio

a (ex oh-fish-ee-oh)dj. Latin for "from the office," to describe...

ex parte

(ex par-tay, but popularly, ex party) adj. Latin meaning "for one...

ex post facto

adj. Latin for "after the fact," which refers to laws adopted aft...

ex rel.

conj. abbreviation for Latin ex relatione, meaning "upon being re...

examination

n. 1) the questioning of a witness by an attorney. Direct examina...

exception

n. 1) a formal objection during trial ("We take exception, or sim...

exception in deed

n. a notation in a deed of title to real property which states th...

excessive bail

n. an amount of bail ordered posted by an accused defendant which...

exchange

1) v. to trade or barter property, goods and/or services for othe...

excise

n. a tax upon manufacture, sale or for a business license or char...

exclusionary rule

n. the rule that evidence secured by illegal means and in bad fai...

exculpatory

adj. applied to evidence which may justify or excuse an accused d...

excusable neglect

n. a legitimate excuse for the failure of a party or his/her lawy...

execute

v. 1) to finish, complete or perform as required, as in fulfillin...

executed

1) adj. to have been completed. (Example: "it is an executed cont...

execution

n. 1) the act of getting an officer of the court to take possessi...

executive clemency

n. the power of a President in federal criminal cases, and the Go...

executive order

n. a President's or Governor's declaration which has the force of...

executive privilege

n. a claim by the President or another high official of the execu...

executor

n. the person appointed to administer the estate of a person who...

executory

adj. something not yet performed or done. Examples: an executory...

executory interest

n. an interest in property (particularly real estate) which will...

executrix

(pl. executrices) n. Latin for female executor. However, the term...

exemplary damages

n. often called punitive damages, these are damages requested and...

exemption

n. 1) in income taxation, a credit given for each dependent, blin...

exhibit

n. 1) a document or object (including a photograph) introduced as...

expectancy

n. a possibility of future enjoyment of something one counts on r...

expense

n. in business accounting and business taxation, any current cost...

expert testimony

n. opinions stated during trial or deposition (testimony under oa...

expert witness

n. a person who is a specialist in a subject, often technical, wh...

express

adj. direct, unambiguous, distinct language, particularly in a co...

express contract

n. a contract in which all elements are specifically stated (offe...

expropriation

n. a taking of property or rights by governmental authority such...

extension

n. granting of a specific amount of extra time to make a payment,...

extenuating circumstances

n. surrounding factors (sometimes called mitigation) which make a...

extinguishment

n. the cancellation or destruction of a right, quite often becaus...

extortion

n. obtaining money or property by threat to a victim's property o...

extradition

n. the surrender by one state or country of a person charged with...

extrajudicial

adj. referring to actions outside the judicial (court) system, su...

extraordinary fees

n. attorneys' fees claimed, usually in the administration of a de...

extreme cruelty

n. an archaic requirement to show infliction of physical or menta...

extrinsic fraud

n. fraudulent acts which keep a person from obtaining information...

eyewitness

n. a person who has actually seen an event and can so testify in...

Select a word:

face amount

n. the original amount due on a promissory note or insurance poli...

face value

n. in shares of stock, the original cost of the stock shown on th...

fact

n. an actual thing or happening, which must be proved at trial by...

fact finder (finder of fact)

n. in a trial of a lawsuit or criminal prosecution, the jury or j...

factor

n. 1) a salesman who sells in his/her own name on behalf of other...

failure of consideration

n. not delivering goods or services when promised in a contract....

failure of issue

n. when someone dies leaving no children or other direct descenda...

fair comment

n. a statement of opinion (no matter how ludicrous) based on fact...

fair market value

n. the amount for which property would sell on the open market if...

fair trade laws

n. state laws which permit manufacturers or producers to set mini...

fair use

n. the non-competitive right to use of copyrighted material witho...

false arrest

n. physically detaining someone without the legal right to do so....

false imprisonment

n. depriving someone of freedom of movement by holding a person i...

false pretenses

n. the crime of knowingly making untrue statements for the purpos...

family

n. 1) husband, wife and children. 2) all blood relations. 3) all...

family purpose doctrine

n. a rule of law that the registered owner of an automobile is re...

federal courts

n. the court system which handles civil and criminal cases based...

federal question

n. one basis for filing a lawsuit in federal district court is th...

Federal Tort Claims Act

n. a statute (1948) which removed the power of the federal govern...

fee

n. 1) absolute title in land, from old French, fief, for "payment...

fee simple

n. absolute title to land, free of any other claims against the t...

fee tail

n. an old feudal expression for a title to real property which ca...

felon

n. a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is a crime...

felonious

adj. referring to an act done with criminal intent. The term is u...

felony

n. 1) a crime sufficiently serious to be punishable by death or a...

felony murder doctrine

n. a rule of criminal statutes that any death which occurs during...

fertile octogenarian

n. an unrealistic notion that any person (male or female) is capa...

fictitious defendants

n. when a party suing (plaintiff) is not sure if he/she knows if...

fiduciary

1) n. from the Latin fiducia, meaning "trust," a person (or a bus...

fiduciary relationship

n. where one person places complete confidence in another in rega...

fighting words

n. words intentionally directed toward another person which are s...

file

1) v. to deposit with the clerk of the court a written complaint...

final decree

n. another name for a final judgment. In states where there are i...

final judgment

n. the written determination of a lawsuit by the judge who presid...

final settlement

n. an agreement reached by the parties to a lawsuit, usually in w...

finding

n. the determination of a factual question vital (contributing) t...

findings of fact

n.

firm offer

n. in contract law, an offer (usually in writing) which states it...

first degree murder

n. although it varies from state to state, it is generally a kill...

first impression

adj. referring to a legal issue which has never been decided by a...

fixture

n. a piece of equipment which has been attached to real estate in...

flight

n. running away or hiding by a person officially accused of a cri...

floating easement

n. an easement (a right to use another's property for a particula...

FOB

1) adj. short for free on board, meaning shipped to a specific pl...

for value received

prep. a phrase used in a promissory note, a bill of exchange or a...

forbearance

n. an intentional delay in collecting a debt or demanding perform...

forced sale

n. a sale of goods seized by the sheriff to satisfy (pay) a judgm...

forcible entry

n. the crime of taking possession of a house or other structure o...

foreclosure

n. the system by which a party who has loaned money secured by a...

foreclosure sale

n. the actual forced sale of real property at a public auction (o...

foreign corporation

n. a corporation which is incorporated under the laws of a differ...

forensic

1) adj. from Latin forensis for "belonging to the forum," ancient...

forensic medicine

n. research, reports and testimony in court by experts in medical...

forensic testimony

n. any testimony of expert scientific, engineering, economic or o...

forensics

n. public speaking or argumentation.

foreseeability

n. reasonable anticipation of the possible results of an action,...

foreseeable risk

n. a danger which a reasonable person should anticipate as the re...

forfeit

v. to lose property or rights involuntarily as a penalty for viol...

forfeiture

n. loss of property due to a violation of law.

forger

n. a person who commits the crime of forgery, by making false doc...

forgery

n. 1) the crime of creating a false document, altering a document...

fornication

n. sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married...

forthwith

adv. a term found in contracts, court orders and statutes, meanin...

forum

n. a court which has jurisdiction to hold a trial of a particular...

forum non conveniens

(for-uhm nahn cahn-vee-nee-ehns) n. Latin for a forum which is no...

foster child

n. a child without parental support and protection, placed with a...

four corners of an instrument

n. the term for studying an entire document to understand its mea...

franchise

1) n. a right granted by the government to a person or corporatio...

franchise tax

n. a state tax on corporations or businesses.

fraud

n. the intentional use of deceit, a trick or some dishonest means...

fraud in the inducement

n. the use of deceit or trick to cause someone to act to his/her...

fraudulent conveyance

n. the transfer (conveyance) of title to real property for the ex...

free and clear

adj. referring to the ownership of real property upon which there...

free on board (FOB)

adj. referring to purchased goods shipped without transportation...

freehold

n. any interest in real property which is a life estate or of unc...

fresh pursuit

n. immediate chase of a suspected criminal by a law enforcement o...

friendly suit

n. a lawsuit filed in order to obtain a court order when the part...

frisk

v. quickly patting down the clothes of a possible criminal suspec...

frivolous

adj. referring to a legal move in a lawsuit clearly intended mere...

fruit of the poisonous tree

n. in criminal law, the doctrine that evidence discovered due to...

frustration of purpose

n. sometimes called commercial frustration, when unexpected event...

fugitive from justice

n. a person convicted or accused of a crime who hides from law en...

full disclosure

n. the need in business transactions to tell the "whole truth" ab...

full faith and credit

n. the provision in Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitutio...

fungible things

n. sometimes merely called "fungibles," goods which are interchan...

future interest

n. a right to receive either real property or personal property s...

Select a word:

gag order

n. a judge's order prohibiting the attorneys and the parties to a...

garnish

v. to obtain a court order directing a party holding funds (such...

garnishee

n. a person or entity, quite often a bank or employer, which rece...

garnishment

n. the entire process of petitioning for and getting a court orde...

gender bias

n. unequal treatment in employment opportunity (such as promotion...

general appearance

n. an attorney's representation of a client in court for all purp...

general counsel

n. the chief attorney for a corporation, who is paid usually full...

general damages

n. monetary recovery (money won) in a lawsuit for injuries suffer...

general denial

n. a statement in an answer to a lawsuit or claim by a defendant...

general partner

n. 1) usually one of the owners and operators of a partnership, w...

general plan

n. a plan of a city, county or area which establishes zones for d...

generation skipping

adj., adv. referring to gifts made through trusts by a grandparen...

gift

n. the voluntary transfer of property (including money) to anothe...

gift in contemplation of death

n. (called a gift causa mortis by lawyers showing off their Latin...

gift tax

n. federal tax on large gifts. Gifts to members of a family may b...

go bail

v. slang for putting up the bail money to get an accused defendan...

good cause

n. a legally sufficient reason for a ruling or other action by a...

good faith

n. honest intent to act without taking an unfair advantage over a...

Good Samaritan rule

n. from a Biblical story, if a volunteer comes to the aid of an i...

good title

n. ownership of real property which is totally free of claims aga...

goods

n. items held for sale in the regular course of business, as in a...

goodwill

n. the benefit of a business having a good reputation under its n...

governmental immunity

n. the doctrine from English common law that no governmental body...

grace period

n. a time stated in a contract in which a late payment or perform...

Grand Jury

n. a jury in each county or federal court district which serves f...

grand larceny

n. the crime of theft of another's property (including money) ove...

grand theft

n.

grandfather clause

n. 1) a clause in a statute or zoning ordinance (particularly a c...

grandfathered in

adj. refers to continued allowed use of property as it was when r...

grant

v. to transfer real property from a title holder (grantor) or hol...

grant deed

n. the document which transfers title to real property or a real...

grantee

n. the party who receives title to real property (buyer, recipien...

grantor

n. the party who transfers title in real property (seller, giver)...

grantor-grantee index

n. a set of books and/or computerized lists found in the office o...

gratuitous

adj. or adv. voluntary or free.

gravamen

n. Latin for "to weigh down," the basic gist of every claim (caus...

gross income

n. in calculating income tax, the income of an individual or busi...

gross negligence

n. carelessness which is in reckless disregard for the safety or...