Wherein the party of the first part hereby confuses the party of the second part.
The right to reject a certain number of prospective jurors without stating a reason, though the reason is usually written all over the attorney's face. Cannot be used for discriminatory purposes, theoretically.
When one party steps into another's shoes to claim their rights, typically your insurance company suing on your behalf after paying your claim. They get the money, you get the satisfaction of watching.
Payment for services rendered based on what they're actually worth, used when no price was agreed upon beforehand. Latin for 'as much as he deserved,' it prevents unjust enrichment when someone benefits from your work.
A doctrine that redirects funds from a settlement when individual payments would be impractical, usually sending unclaimed money to charities 'as near as possible' to the original purpose. Your $1.47 from a class action becomes a donation.
The substitution of a new contract or party for an old one, extinguishing the original obligation entirely. It's the legal equivalent of a player trade where everyone agrees to the swap.
An appeal filed during the case rather than waiting for a final judgment, like pausing a movie to argue about whether the protagonist should have taken that left turn. Usually requires special permission.
An essential condition or element, literally 'without which, not.' In causation analysis, it's the 'but for' test—but for this action, would the harm have occurred?
One who commits a tort, or civil wrong. It sounds like a medieval festival performer but is actually just someone who negligently or intentionally caused harm to another person or property.
Making false statements about someone's property ownership that damage its value or marketability. It's defamation for real estate, and just as actionable.
A court's reduction of an excessive jury award, essentially judicial editing when the jury got a little too generous with someone else's money. The plaintiff can accept it or demand a new trial.
The state-sponsored timeout for adults who've broken society's rules, involving an extended stay in accommodations with bars on the windows and no checkout option. A legal system's way of removing someone from circulation, often discussed in policy debates about criminal justice reform. Think of it as mandatory attendance at the world's least fun boarding school.
Legal jargon's favorite pretentious way of saying 'according to' or 'in compliance with,' typically preceding a citation that nobody will actually read. Lawyers sprinkle this throughout contracts and memos to sound impressively formal while basically just pointing at rules they're following. If you see this word, brace yourself for a reference to some statute, regulation, or policy that's about to justify whatever bureaucratic nonsense comes next.
The legal claim your company makes on words, symbols, or phrases so competitors can't swoop in and confuse customers with knockoff branding. It's essentially corporate identity protection, the thing that keeps every coffee shop from calling itself Starbucks and every sneaker from sporting a swoosh. You can trademark almost anything distinctive enough, from logos to slogans to that specific shade of purple your competitor desperately wishes they could use.
The ultimate betrayal crime where you stab your own country in the back, legally speaking. It's one of the few offenses specifically defined in the U.S. Constitution because the Founders were really concerned about people pulling a Benedict Arnold. Modern treason charges are rare because the legal bar is incredibly high—you basically have to be waging war against your country or giving tangible help to enemies during wartime.
In legal terminology, a person too young to face the full wrath of the adult criminal justice system, because apparently your brain isn't fully criminal until later. The age-based get-out-of-jail-slightly-easier card that recognizes teenagers make terrible decisions but don't deserve permanent records. A minor who committed a crime and gets processed through a justice system with training wheels.
A defense strategy that essentially says "yes, I did it, but here's why I shouldn't be held liable." It's admitting the facts while introducing new ones that excuse or justify the behavior, like claiming self-defense in an assault case.
A contractual obligation to compensate someone for harm or loss, essentially agreeing to take the financial hit if something goes wrong. It's the corporate version of "I've got your back," except written by lawyers and far less reassuring.
A formal request asking the judge to force the other side to comply with discovery requests they've been avoiding. It's the legal equivalent of tattling to the teacher when someone won't share.
The minimum amount in controversy or specific criteria required for a court to hear a case, essentially a cover charge for accessing justice. It's why you can't sue in federal court over your neighbor's $20 borrowed lawnmower.
A court remedy that doesn't involve money damages, such as injunctions, specific performance, or rescission. It's what you seek when throwing money at the problem won't fix it, and you need the court to actually make someone do (or stop doing) something.
The constitutional protection against being tried twice for the same crime after acquittal or conviction, preventing the government from getting infinite do-overs until it wins. It's why you can't be retried just because the prosecutor had a bad day.
To legally declare something void, as if it never existed—the official "undo" button for marriages, contracts, or governmental acts. It's the nuclear option when canceling isn't quite dramatic enough, often requiring a court or authority to wave their magic gavel. Different from divorce in that annulment pretends you never made that regrettable decision in the first place.
Latin for 'for so much' or 'to that extent,' used to describe partial payment or credit. When you can't pay everything, pro tanto means you paid what you could.
Unethical practices where someone finances another's lawsuit in exchange for a share of the proceeds (champerty) or meddles in litigation without legitimate interest (maintenance). Once common law crimes, now mostly historical curiosities.