Legal glossary category
Legal Term
Browse 116 glossary entries in the Legal Term category, with short plain-English descriptions and direct links to the full term pages.
portion
Imagine a piece of something big.
Open term →posted
Imagine you have something important—like a rule or a complaint—and you put it down so everyone can see it.
Open term →power
Imagine 'power' as the legal ability to make decisions or enforce rules.
Open term →practice
Imagine 'practice' as doing your best job correctly when you need to apply a rule or skill to solve a problem, like practicing a specific legal dut...
Open term →precedent
Imagine a past court decision that shows how to solve a problem.
Open term →prejudice
Imagine a situation where someone has a strong, often negative, feeling about something—like believing one person is more likely to win than another.
Open term →preliminary
Imagine a judge saying something is 'preliminary' means it's just a first step—like a test to see if the main problem is real before deciding on th...
Open term →present
Imagine 'present' as meaning 'right now.' In law, it means that a condition, right now, is actually true or valid according to the rules laid down...
Open term →prevent
It means to stop something from happening.
Open term →priority
Imagine 'priority' as deciding which thing gets the most attention first when there are many things to do.
Open term →produce
It means to make something happen or create it.
Open term →project
A 'project' is a planned task or goal that needs to be completed.
Open term →proposal
Imagine it as a formal suggestion where someone writes down a plan for how to solve a problem.
Open term →protect
Imagine 'protect' means making sure your stuff is safe and secure.
Open term →protective order
Imagine a special rule the judge makes to protect someone's rights when they are involved in a lawsuit or official process.
Open term →protest
Imagine a protest is when people gather together to show that they disagree with something important—like a law, a decision, or a rule.
Open term →proxy
Imagine a 'proxy' is someone who steps in to speak for you in a court case or a contract.
Open term →public
Imagine 'public' as something that belongs to everybody—like the general people or the general rules that apply to everyone in a legal setting.
Open term →purpose
Imagine 'purpose' as the main reason why someone is doing something in a lawsuit or agreement.
Open term →range
Imagine a range as a set of choices.
Open term →realized
Imagine you finally understand something important after a long time of confusion.
Open term →reason
It means the main cause or justification behind something that happened or was decided.
Open term →received
Imagine you get something important—like a letter or an official notice.
Open term →recover
Imagine you have lost something important—like money or a right—and 'recover' means successfully getting it back.
Open term →recoverability
Imagine you have a right to something (like money or a contract), and 'recoverability' checks if that right is real enough to be claimed in court.
Open term →recovery
Imagine 'recovery' is when someone gets what they are owed after a dispute or legal action.
Open term →reduction
Imagine you have a big problem, and 'reduction' means making that problem smaller or less serious.
Open term →refer
Imagine you are talking about a rule or a person, and 'refer' means pointing directly to that thing.
Open term →registrant
Imagine a person or company that officially applies for something important—like a patent or a trademark—and gets the official paperwork to prove t...
Open term →regulated
Imagine 'regulated' means that the government has set specific rules for something—like a game or a business.
Open term →relief
Imagine when someone has suffered a loss or injury and asks the court for something that will fix their problem, like money or a specific decision...
Open term →remedy
Imagine a 'remedy' as the official fix or solution that the judge gives when someone has lost a battle in court.
Open term →render
Imagine 'render' as the official action where someone finally delivers what they promised to deliver, like delivering a verdict in a trial or compl...
Open term →replace
Imagine 'replace' as saying, 'take out the old thing and put in a new thing.' In law, it means swapping out one obligation or term for another, ens...
Open term →represent
Imagine you are telling someone that you will speak for them in court or in a business deal.
Open term →request
It means asking for something specific—like asking a judge to decide on a point, or asking a company to deliver goods as specified in a contract.
Open term →requirement
It means a necessary rule or duty that someone has to follow.
Open term →research
Imagine 'research' is like carefully looking into something to find out the truth about a legal situation.
Open term →reserve
Imagine you have a piece of land or a right to something, and 'reserve' means deciding that part is yours and set aside for your use, often ensurin...
Open term →residence
Imagine 'residence' as the specific address where you live, which helps decide which state or court has authority over your legal problems.
Open term →resign
It means saying 'no more work' or 'enough,' formally telling the company that you are quitting your job or position.
Open term →resolution
Imagine a 'resolution' is like when a judge or a group of experts makes a final decision after looking at all the facts and arguments presented in...
Open term →resolve
Imagine 'resolve' as the moment when two people finally agree on what happened in a disagreement.
Open term →result
Imagine 'result' as the final answer after a court decides something or a contract dictates what happens.
Open term →return
Imagine you have something that belongs to someone else.
Open term →reverse
Imagine 'reverse' as a way to turn something around.
Open term →revised
Imagine a rule book or contract that needs changes.
Open term →revocation
Imagine you have a permission slip for something, and 'revocation' means officially taking that permission slip away.
Open term →right
Imagine 'right' as something that is rightfully yours according to the rules of the law.
Open term →role
Imagine a role is like a job title in a game; it tells you what your character is supposed to do in a legal situation.
Open term →rto
Imagine you are supposed to go to school or work, but you take some time off.
Open term →sample
Imagine a piece of something that is taken out of a bigger pile or group to show what it looks like or to prove a point in court.
Open term →sanctions
Imagine sanctions are like official 'warnings' or 'rules' that say certain people or places have been penalized or restricted by a government.
Open term →satisfy
Imagine you have a rule or a promise, and 'satisfy' means making sure you actually do what the rule says to do—like proving that your promise was k...
Open term →secretary
A secretary is a person who helps manage paperwork, organizes information, and handles the day-to-day administrative tasks for an office or legal e...
Open term →secure
Imagine 'secure' as making sure your important stuff is locked up with strong locks so bad guys can't steal it.
Open term →selection
Imagine deciding which toy to pick from a box of toys; in law, it means choosing one specific option when there are multiple choices available, lik...
Open term →senior executive
It means a person who is at the very top of the management structure in a company.
Open term →sent
Imagine 'sent' as when you send a message or a piece of paper to someone else.
Open term →separation
Imagine 'separation' as deciding that two things are now separate—like splitting up two friends who used to be together, or dividing up the ownersh...
Open term →settle
Imagine settling means agreeing on a final answer after a disagreement.
Open term →sign
It means putting your signature on a paper to show that you agree to the terms laid out in a contract.
Open term →signatory
It means a person who puts their signature on a paper.
Open term →signature
Imagine signing a paper with your name; it's like putting your official 'ink' on the document to say, 'Yes, this is what we agreed upon.'
Open term →source
Imagine 'source' as the first thing that starts something—like the original idea or the initial document that proves something happened.
Open term →sponsor
Imagine someone who pays for or officially backs a project or person.
Open term →state law
Imagine 'state law' is like the set of rules for a particular state.
Open term →statement
It's a formal way to say 'this is true' or 'this is what happened,' often used when someone says something important about a situation or a claim.
Open term →station
Imagine a station as a specific spot on a map or a designated point where something happens.
Open term →statute
Imagine a very official rule book written down by the government.
Open term →statutory
Imagine a special rule written down by the government that says something must happen or shouldn't happen.
Open term →strategy
Imagine 'strategy' as the main game plan for a lawsuit or business deal.
Open term →subject
Imagine 'subject' as the person or thing that is the focus of the rules.
Open term →submission
Imagine you have to hand in your homework or a big report to the teacher.
Open term →subordinate
Imagine a situation where one person or thing has less power or responsibility than another; they are the 'subordinate' party.
Open term →substantial
Imagine 'substantial' means something is big enough to matter in a court case or a contract.
Open term →succeeding
It means something happens *after* something else.
Open term →succession
Imagine succession as figuring out who gets to be in charge after someone passes away.
Open term →successor
Imagine 'successor' means someone who steps in after the original person or entity has done something important, like taking over a job or a property.
Open term →supervision
Imagine supervision as the 'boss' who watches to make sure everyone follows the rules.
Open term →supervisor
A supervisor is a person who is in charge of making sure that other people follow the rules and do their assigned tasks correctly.
Open term →supervisory
Imagine a boss who has the job of watching over everyone else to make sure things follow the rules and don't mess up.
Open term →supplier
Think of a 'supplier' as the person or company who gives you what you need—like a book if you need to read, or a service if you need to fix something.
Open term →surrender
Imagine surrendering means giving up something important, like saying 'no' to a demand or letting go of a right you had.
Open term →survive
Imagine you are trying to stay alive in a game or a situation where there are rules and dangers.
Open term →suspend
Imagine 'suspend' as saying that a judge or court decides to temporarily stop something—like pausing a lawsuit or putting a rule on hold for a shor...
Open term →swing
Imagine 'swing' as a move or a turn in a legal game.
Open term →telephone
A telephone is a device used to talk to someone else, like a phone on a contract or lawsuit.
Open term →tender
Imagine 'tender' as when someone formally offers something—like offering to buy a house or offering a solution to a problem.
Open term →transmission
Imagine 'transmission' is like sending a message across the country.
Open term →transmitted
Imagine you are sending a message across a long distance; 'transmitted' means that the signal or message successfully got sent from your device to...
Open term →type
Imagine 'type' means deciding what kind of thing you are talking about—like deciding if a document is a 'type' of legal instrument, or if a person...
Open term →unable
Imagine someone is 'unable' when they don't have the power or skill to do something important.
Open term →unauthorized
Imagine someone tries to do something without the right permission or authority.
Open term →undertake
It means agreeing to take on a job or responsibility.
Open term →unemployment insurance
It is a system where people get money from the government when they lose their job.
Open term →untrue
Imagine something is said or written, but the truth isn't correct; it's wrong or misleading.
Open term →use
Imagine 'use' as deciding to take something and actually using it.
Open term →user
A 'user' is a person or entity who interacts with a defined system or process.
Open term →valid
Imagine something is 'valid' when it means it follows all the correct rules for a contract or a legal claim to be real and true.
Open term →valuation
Imagine figuring out how much something is worth—like a house or a company's value—when lawyers are talking about money and legal claims.
Open term →venue
Imagine a courtroom or a judge deciding exactly *where* the trial will happen—like choosing one city or county to be the official place for the leg...
Open term →verify
It means checking something to see if it's true or correct.
Open term →violate
Imagine 'violate' means breaking a rule or law.
Open term →voluntarily
It means choosing to do something because you *want* to, rather than being forced to do it.
Open term →vote
It means deciding who gets to choose something, like picking a winner for a contest or deciding on a rule for a group.
Open term →waive
Imagine you have a right to something (like a right to use a certain space or a claim), and 'waiving' means deciding to give up that right entirely...
Open term →waiver
Imagine you have a right to something, like the right to say something in court.
Open term →well
Imagine 'well' as meaning that something has been done correctly or that a situation meets the required standard.
Open term →wire
Imagine 'wire' as the invisible line that carries messages between two points.
Open term →withdrawn
Imagine you have a right to something (like a right to sue or a right to a contract), and 'withdrawn' means you officially decide to give up that r...
Open term →without prejudice
Imagine you are talking about something important in a court case.
Open term →witness
A witness is someone who has seen or heard something important enough to tell the judge what happened.
Open term →work
Imagine 'work' as the job you have to do.
Open term →world
Imagine 'world' as the whole planet or the entire system of rules and facts that make up a legal situation.
Open term →wrongful
Imagine something happens that is wrong—like someone did something unfair or broke a rule.
Open term →