Your Free Online Legal Dictionary • Featuring Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd Ed.
Stipulations are common during court proceedings. In most instances, a stipulation is agreed to by both parties to a lawsuit. Essentially, a stipulation is an oral or written agreement between the two
You may have heard about peace bonds, especially if you live in Canada or watch Canadian media. While peace bonds are fairly common in Canada, they can seem strange to a
In the world of civil litigation, damages are the monetary amount a court can award a plaintiff. Damages are meant to compensate for such things as injury, property damage, medical bills, lost
Court proceedings that lack the due process protections people associate with courts of law have earned the name “kangaroo court.” The term has been in use since at least the 19th century,
The government of a host country has the right to declare a member of another nation’s visiting diplomatic mission to be persona non grata. This means the individual is unacceptable to the
The presumption of innocence is one of the foundations of the administration of criminal law in the United States, England, and other countries that follow a common law tradition. The only way
The rise of labor unions toward the end of the 19th century caused concern among employers. Business owners believed that strong labor unions would negatively affect the way they operated their companies.
Some people hold positions that place them in a position of trust. Executors under a last will and testament, trustees handling assets placed in a trust, and attorneys representing their clients all
Lis pendens is a Latin term that literally means that a suit is pending. While a lis pendens can technically refer to any pending lawsuit, in legal parlance it is most often
Palimony is a term that many people have likely heard before, but few people – aside from those who work in a legal profession- would be able to define it. While essentially
Lawyers and judges use language that is unique to the law. Statutes make reference to submitting the “purported will” to the court in connection with probate proceedings instead of simply requiring the
The amount of paperwork associated with borrowing money from a bank can be truly daunting. Whether you are taking out a loan to get money to buy a car or borrowing to
Many nations today practice either common law or civil law system of justice. While common-law originates in Medieval England, civil law traces its origins back to the Roman Empire (and, subsequently, Continental
A contract largely depends on the honesty and goodwill of those who have agreed to it. If a party to a contract makes a misrepresentation of fact without suffering any repercussions for
When it comes to divorce, where the divorce is filed matters a lot. Not all states treat divorce the same way, especially in matters of property division. Generally, states are classified as
If you are accused of committing a crime, the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees you the right to be represented by an attorney. A defendant who cannot afford to retain
Exigent circumstances refer to times when a law enforcement officer can make a warrantless search or seizure. Because a warrantless search potentially violates the Fourth Amendment, which otherwise protects people from unreasonable
A Good Samaritan is somebody who offers help to a person in need. Ensuring that Good Samaritans are protected from liability claims or legal actions as a result of their assistance is
It’s presidential election time again in the United States and with it comes the election-year tradition of hundreds of thousands of Americans threatening to leave the country if the opposition candidate is
The concept of the rule of law goes back to ancient times and it can essentially be summed up by the well-known phrase, “nobody is above the law.” In other words, in