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Most Popular Legal Definitions

fiduciary

A legal duty of loyalty and faithfulness towards another.

mortgage

An interest given on a piece of land, in writing, to guarantee the payment of a debt or the execution of some action.

surety

A guarantor of payment or performance if another fails to pay or perform, such as a bonding company which posts a bond for a guardian, an administrator or a building contractor.

attorney at law

the official title of a lawyer in many countries

American Civil Liberties Union

membership organization founded in 1920 to protect and defend "the rights of man set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution"

defalcation

1. defaulting on a debt or other obligation such to account for public or trust funds; usually used in the context of public officials. 2. defalcation has another legal meaning referring to the setting-off of two debts owed between two people by the agreement to a new amount representing the balance

notice

1) Information, usually in writing in all legal proceedings, of all documents filed, decisions, requests, motions, petitions, and upcoming dates. 2) A writing informing a party to a contract, promissory note, lease, rental agreement or other legal relationship of a delinquency in payment, default, intent to foreclose. 3) information. 4) being informed of a fact, or should have known based on the circumstances, as "he had notice that the roof was not water-tight."

lex non scripta

Latin, unwritten law; the common or custom law; as opposed to lex scripta.

blue laws

state or local laws which prohibit certain activities particularly entertainment, sports, or drinking on Sunday, often see to honor the Christian Sabbath

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.