Miscellaneous legal terms

a defense used in criminal cases where the accused's mental state leads them to commit a crime without knowing they are doing it. Insane automatism is when a person is mentally ill and commits the crime. Non-insane automatism is when the accused was temporarily affected, for example while sleepwalking or suffering from a fit or concussion.

bail (noun)

money that is given to a court when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. If they do not return for the trial, the court keeps the money

bail bondsman (noun)

a person or company that promises to pay the accused's bail money if the accused does not appear at court for their trial

barratry (noun)

dishonest encouragement, especially by a lawyer, to start vexatious litigation (=legal action with no purpose except to cause annoyance)

be of sound mind ()

to not be mentally ill

beyond (a/all) reasonable doubt ()

to a degree that the law considers to be satisfactory for making a decision. It is the standard of proof in criminal cases.

blind trust (noun)

an arrangement in which a legal representative controls the money of someone such as a government official, who is not given specific information about how their money is being managed

the burden of proof ()

the responsibility of proving that something is true in a court of law

cancel (verb)

to say that a legal agreement or obligation is now ended

cancellation (noun)

a decision to end a legal agreement or obligation

cause (verb)

used about someone who has done something wrong

cause of action (noun)

a fact or set of facts that is sufficient to justify legal action

circuit (noun)

legal a regular journey made by a judge to hear court cases in each of the courts of law in a particular area

the Civil Procedure Rules (noun)

in England and Wales, the rules of procedure and practice that courts use to administer civil cases

competence (noun)

legal the fact of being allowed to have your case judged by a court

competence (noun)

the fact of being allowed to be a witness in a court case

consideration (noun)

legal something that is promised or given by one party to a contract in return for something promised or given by another party

contributory negligence (noun)

the failure of a person who has been injured to take action to avoid or prevent an accident, so that they are considered partly responsible for it

corporeal (adjective)

very formallegal relating to physical objects

costs (noun)

legal money that someone involved in a court case must give in order to help to pay for the lawyers and the court, usually after they have lost the case

delict (noun)

another name for a tort

delinquency (noun)

legalAmerican failure to pay money that you owe

discovery (noun)

legal the process of making evidence and other documents available to the people involved in a legal case

eminent domain (noun)

in the U.S., the government’s right to take private property for public use, for example to build a railroad, and its responsibility to pay for the property

employers' liability (noun)

the responsibility of employers for the safety of their employees

enjoin someone from something ()

to legally order someone not to do something

estop (verb)

to prevent someone from doing something, especially from asserting a right in court

estoppel (noun)

a principle that prevents a person from asserting matters in court

forfeiture (noun)

the loss of a right, a benefit, or something that you own because you have failed to do something or have done something wrong

give someone notice (legal)

legal to tell someone officially that you intend to do something

incorporeal (adjective)

legal relating to things that have no physical form

the injured party ()

someone who has not been treated fairly

injury (noun)

legal harm done to your reputation, career, or feelings by someone or something

injury (noun)

a failure to respect your legal rights or property

the innocent party ()

someone who has been harmed by the wrong action of another person

interrogatory (noun)

a written request or question from one party in a legal dispute that must be answered by the other party. An interrogatory is now usually called a request for further information.

invitation to treat (noun)

something that indicates that a person is willing to negotiate an offer for something

judicial activism (noun)

the principle that judges be allowed to let their their personal and political opinions influence their court decisions

judicial restraint (noun)

the principle that judges should base their court decisions on written laws and legal precedent, without considering their personal and political opinions

justifiable homicide (noun)

a case in which killing someone is not a crime, for example because you were defending yourself

keep the peace (legal)

legal to avoid or prevent noisy or violent behavior in public

legal person (noun)

a legal entity that is not a human being but has many rights and obligations, for example a corporation, a government authority, or an NGO

letters of administration (noun)

powers granted by a court that allow someone to administer the property of a person who died without making a will or naming living executors

liability (noun)

legal responsibility for causing damage or injury, or for paying something

loss of control ()

a defense to murder that can be used if someone was provoked into killing another person

moot (verb)

formallegal to take part in a simulated law case, usually as part of a law student's training

mooting (noun)

the activity of taking part in a simulated law case, usually as part of a law student's training

natural person (noun)

a human considered as a legal entity

the neighbor principle (noun)

the principle that a person must take reasonable care to avoid doing things that could hurt others who are nearby and could be affected

no-fault (adjective)

with no regard for who is to blame for an event or situation

notarized (adjective)

signed by a notary and therefore official

no win no fee (adjective)

a no win no fee agreement is one in which a client pays a lawyer a fee only if the action is successful

nullity (noun)

the condition of having no legal effect

occupiers' liability (noun)

the responsibility that an owner or occupier of land or buildings has to protect people from harm in those places

principal (noun)

legal a person or organization that has someone to represent them in legal and business matters

privilege (noun)

legal a situation in which lawyers, doctors, and other professional people are legally allowed to keep their discussions with people secret

privity of contract (noun)

a principle that states that a contract can only give rights to or force obligations on someone if they are a party to the contract

promissory estoppel (noun)

a principle that allows a person to receive the benefit of a promise made even if a legally binding contract does not exist

remedy (noun)

legal a solution to a disagreement

repudiatory (adjective)

relating to or consisting of a refusal by someone to do something they are legally obliged to do, for example honor an agreement or pay a debt

reversion (noun)

legal the process by which a place returns to a previous owner or government

revert to (legal)

legal if property reverts to its previous owner, it is returned to that owner

right of audience (noun)

the right of a lawyer to appear and conduct proceedings in court on behalf of their client

said (adjective)

mentioned earlier

satisfaction (noun)

legal the action of doing something that is legally necessary

specific performance (noun)

the completion of contractual obligations, enforced by a court order when payment of money would not compensate the other party

the spirit of the law ()

the real meaning or intention of a law, even if the way it is written does not express this

strict liability (noun)

the principle that a crime can be committed even though the offender was not aware that one or more of their acts were actually criminal

surety (noun)

someone who agrees to pay money if you do not go to court when you should, or if you do not pay money that you owe

surety (noun)

money that someone gives to make sure that someone else will appear in court or pay money that they owe

tenancy (noun)

British a permanent position a barrister (=senior lawyer in the UK) is given in a set of chambers

tort (noun)

an action that harms someone and for which you can be judged legally responsible although it is not a crime

tortious (adjective)

relating to a tort or punishable as a tort

tortiously (adverb)

in a way that is tortious

unappealable (adjective)

if a legal decision is unappealable it cannot be taken to a higher court

unfit to plead ()

in England and Wales, if a person is unfit to plead they are not able to understand the criminal charges or the court proceedings against them. In the U.S. it is asked whether someone has the competence to stand trial.

vexatious (adjective)

old-fashionedlegal vexatious legal action has no purpose other than to cause annoyance

vexatious litigant (noun)

in England and Wales, someone who has often taken people to court in the past for no reason other than to cause annoyance. A person classified as a vexatious litigant has to get permission from a judge to start a new legal action.

vicarious liability (noun)

the situation where one person is held legally responsible for the actions of another person, for example when an employer is responsible for the acts of an employee. Vicarious liability is often referred to as employers' secondary liability.

voidability (noun)

the state of being voidable

writ (noun)

an official document that tells someone to do something or to stop doing something

Synonyms and antonyms of Miscellaneous legal terms in American Thesaurus