Alimony
support paid by one ex-spouse to the other as ordered by a court in a divorce;
termed as spousal support in California and some other states
Aliquot
a definite fractional share, usually applied when dividing and distributing a
deceased person's estate or trust assets
Allegation
statement of claimed fact contained in a complaint, a criminal charge, or an
affirmative defense; until proven each statement is an allegation
Allege
to claim that a fact is true
Alter Ego
corporation, organization or other entity set up to provide a legal shield for
the person actually controlling the operation
Alternative Pleading
legal fiction in which a party to a lawsuit or a defendant charged with a crime
can plead two ways which are inconsistent with each other; examples: a) someone
hurt in an accident can plead that the other party was negligent or ran into him
intentionally b) "not guilty" and "not guilty by reason of insanity" (in which
there is the implied admission that the defendant committed the act)
Ambiguity
when language has more than one meaning; if the ambiguity is obvious it is
called "patent," and if there is a hidden ambiguity it is called "latent"
Amend
alter or change by adding, subtracting, or substituting; one can amend a
statute, a contract or a written pleading filed in a lawsuit; the change is
usually called an amendment.
Amended Complaint
what results when the party suing changes the complaint they filed; complaints
are amended to correct facts, add new causes of action, substitute discovered
names for persons sued as "J. Does" or to properly plead a cause of action after
the court found the initial complaint inadequate
American Bar Association
The largest organization of American lawyers, which is prestigious for
formulating guidelines for the practice of law, giving direction to legislation,
lobbying for the law profession, and evaluating federal judges; less then
one-third of attorneys belong to the A.B.A