The Law Dictionary for Everyone
A contract is an agreement that creates mutual obligations between two or more parties. An indispensable part of nearly every business or personal transaction, well-written contracts are beneficial to all involved parties and can establish long-lasting relationships. Sometimes complex in nature, they must be crafted correctly and contain certain elements in order to be enforceable. A contract lawyer is an […]
Read moreThe term “encumbrance” is used to describe a burden on a property that can reduce the value of the property. As an example, an encumbrance can be a mortgage. If someone owes $100,000 to the bank in the form of a mortgage, then he must pay the bank back that money upon selling the house, which reduces the amount of […]
Read moreThe term “amnesty” is used to describe the government’s act of forgiving a person for something he did wrong. For example, amnesty can refer to the government’s forgiveness of illegal immigrants (also known as undocumented migrants) for crimes they committed to enter a country. The government can also forgive people who haven’t paid their taxes once those payments have been […]
Read moreAnother word for the term “decree” is “judgment.” What this means is that a decree, in the field of law, refers to an official order that is created and handed down by an authority figure, typically a judge. A decree can be issued in any legal matter, though two of the more common ones are divorce decrees and adoption decrees. […]
Read moreA corporation is a legal entity created under the laws of the state in which it is incorporated. Individual states have the power to enact laws and govern the formation, operation, and dissolution of a corporation. Since corporations are required to comply with state, and sometimes federal regulations, there are numerous legal issues that may arise. A corporate lawyer is […]
Read moreCivil litigation, sometimes referred to as a “civil lawsuit,” is a legal process in which individuals, businesses, and other entities hold another party liable for some type of wrong. Generally, if a person is successful, he or she will be awarded some type of compensation. A civil litigation lawyer represents the plaintiff (the party that initiated the lawsuit) or the […]
Read moreThe term “indigent” is used to describe a person who is too poor to afford to pay someone to help them. In the law, this would apply to someone who could not afford to hire a lawyer. If the court finds a person to be indigent, it will order legal aid to represent the person. A person can only be […]
Read moreThe term “5th Amendment” refers to the more well-known aspect of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that no one can be forced to testify against himself in court. The 5th Amendment also ensures that no one can be tried a second time for a crime of which they were already acquitted. This is referred to as […]
Read moreThe term “addendum” is used to describe anything that is added to a document. In terms of the law, an addendum can be additional terms added to a contract that were left out when the contract was initially drafted. Addendums can also be used to correct a mistake, or to add terms to something, as in a lease. To explore […]
Read moreThe term de facto translates to mean “in fact.” In the world of law, if something is de facto, that means it exists in fact, even if not legally recognized. For example, de facto corporations may have failed to file all of the necessary paperwork to be legally recognized as corporations, yet have behaved in such a way as to […]
Read more