| Definition | Term |
|---|
| The initiator of the lawsuit | |
| The person against whom a lawsuit is filed | |
| The up front payment a client gives a lawyer to accept a case | |
| A civil wrong that result in an injury to a person or property | |
| A written statement made under oath | |
| Exemption from a legal duty, penalty or prosecution | |
| Legal proceedings to review the decision of a lower court | |
| A method of alternative dispute resolution in which a neutral third party helps resolve a dispute | |
| A person authorized to witness the signing of documents | |
| The money a defendant pays to gain release before trial | |
| Gives one party the right to go onto another party's property | |
| A crime in which a person knowingly makes a false statement while under oath in court | |
| Serious crime punishable by incarceration for a year or more. | |
| Crime that is punishable by less than one year in jail | |
| A claim against someone's property | |
| A process to help those who cannot pay their debts | |
| When a borrower cannot repay a loan and the lender seeks to sell the property | |
| The practical authority or reach of a legal body | |
| Improper or negligent behavior by a professional, such as a doctor or a lawyer | |
| Previously decided case that establishes a principle in further cases | |
| The publication of a statement that injures a person's reputation | |
| An official order authorizing a specific act, such as an arrest or the search of someone's home | |
