Mediation

Definition

A process where a neutral third party helps two people who despise each other find common ground, like couples therapy but with more legal pads and less crying. Actually, about the same amount of crying.

Example Usage

"Our mediator suggested we both compromise, which in practice meant we both left equally unhappy, which I suppose is justice."

Related Terms

Intermediate

remanded

When a higher court tells a lower court 'nice try, but do it again' and sends a case back for round two, or when a judge sends a defendant back to their temporary home in a cell while awaiting trial. It's the legal equivalent of 'return to sender' or 'see me after class.' Either way, someone's going back to square one with extra homework.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

admissible evidence

Information that meets legal standards to be presented in court, having survived the gauntlet of relevance, reliability, and procedural rules. If evidence were nightclub guests, this is what makes it past the velvet rope.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

tariffs

Government-imposed taxes on imported or exported goods that politicians love to threaten and economists love to debate. They're supposed to protect domestic industries but often just make everything more expensive for consumers. Also used for rate schedules and criminal sentencing guidelines, because one word should definitely mean three different things.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

obligor

The fancy legal term for the person who owes something to someone else (the obligee), because apparently "debtor" wasn't confusing enough. It's the party on the hook for fulfilling a legal obligation, whether that's paying money, delivering goods, or performing services. Think of it as the "you" in every loan agreement you've ever signed.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

remittitur

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.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

custody

Legal control over something or someone, whether it's your kids after a divorce, your freedom before trial, or that rare baseball card your lawyer is holding. The term covers everything from parental rights to being detained by authorities to having possession of assets. Basically, whoever has custody gets to decide what happens next—for better or worse.

⚖️ Legal

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