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Most Popular Legal Definitions
equity
A branch of English law which developed hundreds of years ago when litigants
would go to the King and complain of harsh or inflexible rules of common law
which prevented justice from prevailing
answer
filed by a defendant to respond to a complaint in a lawsuit filed and served
upon that defendant
acquit
what a jury--or judge sitting without a jury--does at the end of a criminal
trial if the jury or judge finds the defendant not guilty
ad hoc
From Latin, meaning "for this purpose only;" thus, an ad hoc committee is formed
to serve a specific purpose; an ad hoc attorney is hired to handle one problem
and often is a specialist in a particular area.
lex fori
The law applicable to particular legal proceedings; Latin, for the law of the
forum.
privilege
A special legal advantage or right such as a benefit, exemption, or
immunity.
council
a formal group of experts brought together on a regular basis to debate matters
within that sphere of expertise, and with advisory powers to government
crumbling skull rule
a legal theory, companion to the thin skull rule, which limits a tort
defendant's exposure to a plaintiff's injuries to the plaintiff's condition at
the time of the tort
arrears
money not paid when due, usually the sum of a series of unpaid amounts
delict
civil law term which imposes liability on a
person who causes injury to another, or for injury caused by a person or thing
under his custody