Practice Areas

News

Library

Legal Dictionary S - Z

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Service of process:
The delivering of writs, summonses, and subpoenas by delivering them to the party named in the document.

Settlement:
An agreement stipulated between the parties to reconcile a dispute.

Standing:
The legal right to bring a lawsuit. As a general rule, only a person with something at stake has standing to bring a lawsuit.

Stare decisis:
The legal doctrine providing that courts should adhere to the legal principles established by courts deciding similar cases in the past.

Statute:
A legislative enactment; it may be a single act of a legislature or a body of acts which are collected and arranged for a session of a legislature.

Statute of frauds:
A statutory requirement that certain contracts are in writing.

Statute of limitations:
A statutory requirement establishing the period of time in which a lawsuit must be filed.

Subpoena:
A legal document served upon a person to compel them to produce evidence in their possession or to appear at a deposition or proceeding.

Taxable income:
The income against which taxes are applied. This typically includes gross income for businesses and adjusted gross income for individuals less deductions and exemptions.

Temporary relief:
Any court action or order that serves to protect a party’s interest pending further action by the court.

Testimony:
The evidence that a witness provides under oath.

Tort law:
The body of law that allows one to be compensated in the event that someone's carelessness, recklessness or intentional misconduct injures or damages you or your personal belongings. There are three main classes of torts: intentional torts; negligent torts; and strict liability torts.

Transcript:
A verbatim, written record of what was said. Transcripts are commonly available to document events at a deposition, trial, hearing, or other proceeding.

Unjust enrichment:
Legal doctrine providing that one person should be required to make restitution for the property or benefit received when that benefit or property was unfairly obtained at the expense of another.

Uniform Commercial Code (UCC):
Law governing commercial transactions, provisions of which have been adopted by an overwhelming majority of U.S. jurisdictions.

United States Attorney:
A federal lawyer appointed by the President to prosecute all criminal offenses or civil actions committed against the US and to defend the government in all civil actions in which it is brought as a defendant.

United States Bankruptcy Court:
The judicial body that oversees matters pertaining to bankruptcy and reorganization.

United States Court of Appeals:
The judicial body that hears contested decisions from federal district courts, bankruptcy courts, and tax courts.

United States District Courts:
The federal judicial body that tries both criminal and civil actions and admiralty cases.

United States Supreme Court:
The highest court in the land, established by U.S. Constitution.

Unsecured debts:
Amounts outstanding for which the debtor has not pledged collateral to guarantee repayment.

Vacate:
To set aside, to dismiss.

Venue:
Authority of a court to hear a matter based on geographical location.

Verdict:
A legal or factual conclusion that forms the basis for the court's judgment.

Vicarious liability:
When a person who did not actually cause an injury is held for the injury. Sometimes called imputed liability.

Voir dire:
An Anglo-French term meaning "to speak the truth," voir dire is the preliminary process of determining whether a witness or jury is competent.

Witness:
A person who saw the events that are the subject of a lawsuit. If the witness is not associated with the defendant or plaintiff then they are called an independent witness. Witnesses are questioned by a lawyer, or by a private investigator hired by the lawyer.

Workers’ compensation:
A state program overseeing the claims of workers who suffer work-related injury or occupational disease.

Writ of certiorari:
A Supreme Court order granting or denying an appeal from a ruling in a lower court.

Wrongful death:
A death occurring as a result of another’s negligence.

XYY syndrome:
An atypical phenomenon whereby a male possesses an extra Y chromosome. XYY syndrome has been attributed to aggressive and antisocial behavior.

Yellow-dog Contract:
An employment agreement prohibiting membership in a labor union.

Yield:
To surrender, give up, or relinquish.

Zealous Advocate:
The role that many attorneys believe is their ethical duty to perform in order to adequately represent their clients.

Zone-of-danger Rule:
A legal doctrine that may give rise to the recovery of damages for negligent infliction of emotional distress if the individual was fearful of personal harm and in the dangerous area created by the defendant’s negligence.

Quick Contact

questions

Resources