Glossary
A comprehensive list of common legal terms and their definitions.
A
- Assistant District Attorney: A lawyer from the district attorney’s office who prosecutes people on behalf of the public.
- Attachment: 1. Extra documents added to court papers to give more information. 2. An order that says a person can collect a judgment by taking the other person's property.
- Attestation: The act of proving a document’s truth by signing as a witness.
- Attorney: Someone licensed to represent clients in court and to give legal advice.
B
- Business Bankruptcy: A bankruptcy case in which the debtor is a business or an individual involved in business and the debts are for business purposes.
- Capital Offense: A crime punishable by death.
C
- Case Law: The law as established in previous court decisions. A synonym for legal precedent.
- Counterclaims: Claims made by the defendant against the plaintiff.
- Court: A government entity authorized to resolve legal disputes.
- Court Reporter: A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court and produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
I
- Intercept: When non-wage payments (like federal income tax refunds, state income tax refunds, unemployment benefits, and disability benefits) made to a parent that owes support are taken and given to the parent who gets support.
- Interlocutory: A court order that is conditional, temporary, or not final.
- Interpleader: When two or more people have a claim to the same thing held by a third party.
P
- Possessory Judgment: An order from the court giving control of an item, place or space.
- Post: 1. A prefix that means "after," like in "post-trial" matters. 2. To put up or get publicity for something in a public place to bring it to the public's attention, as in "to post a notice of sale."
W
- Worker's Compensation: 1. A state agency which handles claims of workers injured on their jobs. 2. A benefit paid to an employee who suffers a work-related injury or illness.
- Writ: A judicial order directing a person to do something.
- Writ of Certiorari: An order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.
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