FindLaw Legal Dictionary

Legal Term of the Day

• Sep 27, 2021 7:00 AM:  Presume
  pre·sumed pre·sum·ing : to suppose to be true without proof or before inquiry : accept as a presumption [must the defendant is innocent]

• Sep 26, 2021 7:00 AM:  Aleatory
  [Latin aleatorius of a gambler, from aleator gambler, dice player, from alea, a dice game] : depending on an uncertain event or contingency as to both profit and loss [the nature of a lawyer's ...

• Sep 25, 2021 7:00 AM:  Note
  1 a : a written promise to pay a debt ;specif : promissory note in this entry bank note : a promissory note issued by a bank payable to bearer on demand but without interest and circulating as ...

• Sep 24, 2021 7:00 AM:  Lawful Permanent Resident Alien (Lpra)
  Lawful permanent resident.

• Sep 23, 2021 7:00 AM:  Spouse
  Legally married husband or wife. A co-habiting partner does not qualify as a spouse for immigration purposes. A common-law husband or wife may or may not qualify as a spouse for immigration purposes, ...

• Sep 22, 2021 7:00 AM:  Dissolution
  : the act or process of ending: as a : the termination of an organized body (as a court) b : the ending of a partnership relationship caused by the withdrawal of one of the partners from the ...

• Sep 21, 2021 7:00 AM:  Fireman's Rule
  : a doctrine holding that a property owner or occupant is not liable for unintentional injuries suffered by firefighters or police officers in responding to a problem on the property

• Sep 20, 2021 7:00 AM:  Enacting Clause
  : the clause of an act that formally expresses legislative authorization and usually begins with “Be it enacted”

• Sep 20, 2021 12:19 AM:  Status Quo Ante
  [Latin, state in which previously] : the state of affairs that existed previously [rescind the contract and restore the parties to the status quo ante]

• Sep 19, 2021 7:00 AM:  Personal Service
  1 : a service based on the intellectual or manual efforts of an individual (as for salary or wages) rather than a salable product of his or her skills 2 : physical delivery of process to a person to ...

• Sep 18, 2021 7:00 AM:  Authentic Act
  in the civil law of Louisiana : a writing executed in accordance with law which requires that each party to the writing sign it before a public officer (as a notary public) and two witnesses and that ...

• Sep 17, 2021 7:00 AM:  Prior Inconsistent Statement
  : a witness's statement made out of court prior to testifying that is inconsistent with the witness's testimony and that may be offered to impeach the witness's credibility compare prior consistent ...

• Sep 16, 2021 7:00 AM:  Independent Medical Examination (Ime)
  In many situations, an employer and insurance company will want to have an injured employee seen by a particular physician in order to obtain on objective evaluation of the employee's health. An ...

• Sep 15, 2021 7:00 AM:  Jurisprudence Constante
  [French, uniform jurisprudence] : a doctrine in the civil law of Louisiana: a long series of previous decisions applying a particular rule of law carries great weight and may be determinative in ...

• Sep 14, 2021 7:00 AM:  Dilute
  di·lut·ed di·lut·ing : to cause dilution of

• Sep 13, 2021 7:00 AM:  Bid
  bid bid·ding vt : to offer (a price) for payment or acceptance vi : to make a bid : state what one will pay or take in payment [a contractor bidding for a job] bid·der n

• Sep 12, 2021 7:00 AM:  Write Up
  : to increase the book value of (an asset) write-up [rīt-əp] n

• Sep 11, 2021 7:00 AM:  Cloud On Title
  :an interest (as a lien) in real property that if valid impairs the owner's title compare quiet

• Sep 10, 2021 7:00 AM:  Promoter
  : one who alone or with others actively participates in the formation of a business or venture [s owe a fiduciary duty to the corporation they are promoting "R. C. Clark"]

• Sep 9, 2021 7:00 AM:  Incompetence
  : the state or fact of being incompetent compare competency

• Sep 8, 2021 7:00 AM:  Remand
  [Anglo-French remander, from Middle French, to order back, from Late Latin remandare to send back word, from Latin re- back + mandare to order] vt 1 : to return (a case or matter) from one court to ...

• Sep 7, 2021 7:00 AM:  Jus Tertii
  [Latin] : a right of a third party (as to property in another's possession) ;also : the right to assert the rights of another in a lawsuit NOTE: In property actions the claims of a third party on ...

• Sep 6, 2021 7:00 AM:  Shareholder Control Agreement
  : a written unanimous agreement of shareholders that transfers control of specified areas of corporate governance (as election of directors and officers, issue of dividends, employment of ...

• Sep 6, 2021 12:24 AM:  Proof Of Service
  :a statement submitted (as by a sheriff) to the court as evidence of successful service of process to a party

• Sep 5, 2021 7:00 AM:  Judicial Confession
  : a confession made in a legal proceeding (as in a trial) [a guilty plea supported by a judicial confession]

• Sep 4, 2021 7:00 AM:  Real Estate Agent
  an individual who is licensed to negotiate and arrange real estate sales; works for a real estate broker.

• Sep 3, 2021 7:00 AM:  Mortgage Broker
  a firm that originates and processes loans for a number of lenders.

• Sep 2, 2021 7:00 AM:  Refugee Approvals
  The number of refugees approved for admission to the United States during a fiscal year.

• Sep 1, 2021 7:00 AM:  Infraction
  : the act of infringing : violation in·fract [-frakt] vt

• Aug 31, 2021 7:00 AM:  Open Court
  1 : a recorded judicial proceeding that is presided over by a judge and attended by the parties and their attorneys and that is convened for the purpose of conducting official business compare in ...

• Aug 30, 2021 7:00 AM:  Conjugal Rights
  : the rights and privileges (as to love, affection, sexual relations, companionship, comfort, and services) implied by and involved in the marriage relationship

• Aug 29, 2021 7:00 AM:  Expunction
  : the act of expunging : the state of being expunged

• Aug 28, 2021 7:00 AM:  Pre-
  1 a : earlier than : prior to : before [premarital] [prejudgment] b : preparatory or prerequisite to [prehearing] 2 : in advance : beforehand [prepay]

• Aug 27, 2021 7:00 AM:  Factoring
  : the purchasing of accounts receivable from a business by a factor who assumes the risk of loss in return for some agreed discount

• Aug 26, 2021 7:00 AM:  Bankrupt
  : a debtor (as an individual or organization) whose property is subject to administration under the bankruptcy laws for the benefit of the debtor's creditors [was adjudicated a ] — see also ...

• Aug 25, 2021 7:00 AM:  Transfer
  trans·ferred trans·fer·ring : to cause a transfer of trans·fer·abil·i·ty [trans-fər-ə-bi-lə-tē, trans-fər-] n trans·fer·able ...

• Aug 24, 2021 7:00 AM:  Rational Basis
  : a reason or ground (as for legislation or an action by a government agency) that is not unreasonable or arbitrary and that bears rational relationship to a legitimate state interest see also ...

• Aug 23, 2021 7:00 AM:  Pauper
  : a person who is destitute and relying on charity ;specif : a person who is relieved of the costs and expenses of a court proceeding because of poverty

• Aug 23, 2021 12:27 AM:  Penitentiary
  pl: -ries : a state or federal prison for the punishment and reformation of convicted felons compare house of correction, house of detention, jail, lockup

• Aug 22, 2021 7:00 AM:  J.
  1 judge 2 justice 3 judgment

• Aug 21, 2021 7:00 AM:  Councillor
  or coun·ci·lor [kan-sə-lər] n : a member of a council coun·cil·lor·ship n

• Aug 20, 2021 7:00 AM:  Peculation
  [Late Latin peculation- peculatio, from Latin peculari to embezzle, from peculium private property, from pecu cattle] : misappropriation esp. of public funds

• Aug 20, 2021 3:15 AM:  Ethical Consideration
  : a recommendation made in the ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility of what would or would not be ethical behavior by a lawyer under specified circumstances compare disciplinary rule

• Aug 19, 2021 7:00 AM:  Carnal Knowledge
  : an act of esp. illegal sexual intercourse [whoever has carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will "District of Columbia Code Annotated"] ;also : the crime of committing such an act ...

• Aug 18, 2021 7:00 AM:  Enter
  : to go or come in ;specif : to go upon real property by right of entry esp. to take possession [lessor shall have the right to and take possession] often used in deeds and leases vt 1 : to come or ...

• Aug 17, 2021 7:00 AM:  Compensated Bailment
  : bailment for hire at bailment

• Aug 16, 2021 7:00 AM:  Var
  Acronym for Value Added Reseller. A VAR is a business that adds its own "value," or application, to an existing product, and resells the resulting enhanced product as a package.

• Aug 15, 2021 7:00 AM:  Introduce
  -duced -duc·ing : to present and offer (evidence) at trial

• Aug 14, 2021 7:00 AM:  Immaterial
  : not essential, pertinent, or of consequence [the jury could have discounted the medical history evidence, or while accepting its accuracy, found it "Willett v. State, 911 S.W.2d 937 (1995)"] ...

• Aug 13, 2021 7:00 AM:  Buy Out
  1 : to purchase the share or interest of 2 : to purchase the entire tangible and intangible assets of (a business)

• Aug 12, 2021 7:00 AM:  Married Filing Separately
  The filing status used by a couple that is married at the end of the year and chooses to file separate tax returns.

• Aug 11, 2021 7:00 AM:  Forcible
  : effected by force or threat of force used against opposition or resistance [a felony] for·ci·bly adv

• Aug 10, 2021 7:00 AM:  Simple Mortgage Clause
  : open mortgage clause

• Aug 9, 2021 7:00 AM:  Infant
  : a person who is not of the age of majority : minor compare adult

• Aug 9, 2021 12:14 AM:  Wysiwyg
  Acronym for What You See Is What You Get. Usually used in computer graphic/design circles, WYSIWYG, pronounced wiz-ee-wig, is a type of program that enables the programmer to see what the product ...

• Aug 8, 2021 7:00 AM:  Carrier
  1 : an individual or entity engaged in transporting passengers or goods for hire by land, water, or air ;specif : common carrier 2 : an insurer that assumes the risks of a policy that it issues to ...

• Aug 7, 2021 7:00 AM:  Invoice
  1 : an itemized statement furnished to a purchaser by a seller and usually specifying the price of goods or services and the terms of sale : bill 2 : a consignment of merchandise

• Aug 6, 2021 7:00 AM:  Allocution
  [Latin allocutio, from alloqui to speak to, from ad to + loqui to speak] : a formal speech ;esp : one made by a defendant at the time of sentencing

• Aug 5, 2021 7:00 AM:  Chief Judge
  : the principal, presiding, or most senior judge of esp. a lower level court or of a circuit

• Aug 4, 2021 7:00 AM:  Phantom Stock Plan
  : a form of executive compensation in which an employee is granted units representing shares of stock which are redeemable at a specified future date for the market value of an equivalent number of ...

• Aug 3, 2021 7:00 AM:  Plurality
  pl: -ties : an amount or group (as of votes) that is greater than any other amount or group within a total but that is not more than half ;esp : a group of justices on an appeals court who do not ...

• Aug 2, 2021 7:00 AM:  Opposition Proceeding
  A proceeding in which the plaintiff seeks to prevent the issuance of a registration of a mark. An opposition is similar to a proceeding in a federal court, but is held before the Trademark Trial and ...

• Aug 1, 2021 7:00 AM:  Adjective Law
  : the portion of the law that deals with the rules of procedure governing evidence, pleading, and practice compare substantive law

• Jul 31, 2021 7:00 AM:  Nonunion
  1 : not belonging to or connected with a labor union [ carpenters] 2 : not recognizing or favoring labor unions or their members 3 : not produced or worked on by members of a labor union [ lettuce] ...

• Jul 30, 2021 7:00 AM:  Discovery
  pl: -er·ies 1 : the act or process of discovering 2 : something discovered [applied for a patent for the ] 3 a : the methods used by parties to a civil or criminal action to obtain information ...

• Jul 29, 2021 7:00 AM:  Protective Sweep
  : a quick protective search limited in scope to a cursory visual inspection of places in which a person might hide

• Jul 28, 2021 7:00 AM:  Business Nonimmigrant
  An alien coming temporarily to the United States to engage in commercial transactions which do not involve gainful employment in the United States, i.e., engaged in international commerce on behalf of ...

• Jul 28, 2021 5:53 AM:  Tradition
  [French, legal transfer] in the civil law of Louisiana : transfer or acquisition of property esp. by delivery with intent of both parties to transfer the title [delivery of the act of transfer or use ...

• Jul 27, 2021 7:00 AM:  Speaking
  : addressing matters not set forth in the pleadings [a demurrer] [a motion]

• Jul 26, 2021 7:00 AM:  Reasonable Suspicion
  : an objectively justifiable suspicion that is based on specific facts or circumstances and that justifies stopping and sometimes searching (as by frisking) a person thought to be involved in ...

• Jul 26, 2021 12:21 AM:  Generation-Skipping Transfer
  : a transfer of property or of an interest in property that is to a person of a generation more than one generation below that of the transferor and that can be characterized as a taxable ...

• Jul 25, 2021 7:00 AM:  Bearer
  : a person holding a check, draft, or other negotiable instrument for payment esp. marked payable to bearer or having a blank endorsement

• Jul 24, 2021 7:00 AM:  Line-Item Veto
  : an executive veto of a specific item in an appropriations bill

• Jul 23, 2021 7:00 AM:  Equivalent
  : something that performs substantially the same function as another thing in substantially the same way compare aggregation, combination, invention NOTE: Under patent law, a patentee may bring a ...

• Jul 23, 2021 3:18 AM:  Ordinary Course Of Business
  :the usual manner and range of a business esp. considered in relation to the amount, circumstances, and validity of a particular transfer [the bankruptcy trustee voided a transfer that was not in the ...

• Jul 22, 2021 7:00 AM:  Repudiate
  -at·ed -at·ing : to disavow or reject an obligation (as a debt) or duty (as performance under a contract) ;specif : to indicate an inability or unwillingness to perform as promised under ...

• Jul 21, 2021 7:00 AM:  Judicial Restraint
  : a refraining in the judiciary from departure from precedent and the formulation of broad doctrine compare judicial activism

• Jul 20, 2021 7:00 AM:  Amw
  average monthly wage

• Jul 19, 2021 7:00 AM:  Impediment
  : something that prevents or interferes with a process, power, or right [should have known of the legal s to the execution of any judgment against the police jury "Penalber v. Blount, 550 So. 2d 577 ...

• Jul 18, 2021 7:00 AM:  Immigrant Visa
  A visa for a person who plans to live indefinitely and permanently in the United States.

• Jul 17, 2021 7:00 AM:  Meeting Of Creditors
  :a hearing held pursuant to section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code at which a bankrupt debtor is required to submit to examination under oath by creditors who may also elect a trustee if one has not ...

• Jul 16, 2021 7:00 AM:  Forced Portion
  : legitime

• Jul 15, 2021 7:00 AM:  Merged Credit Report
  raw data pulled from two or more of the major credit-reporting firms.

• Jul 14, 2021 7:00 AM:  Nol-Pros
  nol-prossed nol-pros·sing vt : to discontinue by entering a nolle prosequi vi : to enter a nolle prosequi

• Jul 13, 2021 7:00 AM:  Occupation Tax
  : an excise imposed on persons for the privilege of carrying on a trade, business, or occupation

• 
  1 : not genuine, authentic, or legitimate compare counterfeit 2 a : not true or correct ;esp : intentionally or knowingly untrue or incorrect [injured by accusations] b : intended to mislead or ...

• Jul 12, 2021 12:31 AM:  Probationable
  : not precluding probation : punishable by probation [a offense]

• Jul 11, 2021 7:00 AM:  Actus Reus
  [New Latin, guilty deed] : the wrongful act that makes up the physical action of a crime see also crime compare mens rea

• Jul 10, 2021 7:00 AM:  Compensated Bailment
  : bailment for hire at bailment

• Jul 9, 2021 7:00 AM:  Metes And Bounds
  [translation of Anglo-French metes et boundes] : the boundaries or limits of a tract of land esp. as described by reference to lines and distances between points on the land

• Jul 8, 2021 7:00 AM:  Undersigned
  pl: undersigned : one whose name is signed at the end of a document [the jointly and severally agree]

• Jul 7, 2021 7:00 AM:  Flagrante Delicto
  [Medieval Latin, literally, while the crime is blazing] : in the very act of committing a misdeed [was caught flagrante delicto] ;also : in the midst of sexual activity

• Jul 6, 2021 7:00 AM:  Out Of Status
  A U.S. visa allows the bearer to apply for entry to the U.S. in a certain classification, for a specific purpose. For example, student (F), visitor (B), temporary worker (H). Every visa is issued for ...

• Jul 5, 2021 7:00 AM:  Repealer
  : a legislative act or clause in an act that repeals an earlier act

• Jul 4, 2021 7:00 AM:  Court Interpreter
  a court employee who orally translates what is said in court from English into the language of a non-English-speaking party or witness and translates that person's testimony into English.

• Jul 3, 2021 7:00 AM:  Private
  1 a : intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person or group or class of persons : not available to the public [a park] b : not related to, controlled by, or deriving from the state ...

• Jul 2, 2021 7:00 AM:  Mittimus
  [Latin, we send] : a warrant issued to a sheriff commanding the delivery to prison of a person named in the warrant

• Jul 1, 2021 7:00 AM:  Stock Bonus Plan
  : a form of deferred compensation that is funded by employer contributions of corporate securities with dividends usually reinvested

• Jun 30, 2021 7:00 AM:  Conclusory
  : consisting of or relating to a conclusion or assertion for which no supporting evidence is offered [ allegations]

• Jun 29, 2021 7:00 AM:  Independent Source
  1 : a source of evidence that is not connected with unlawful conduct which uncovers the same evidence 2 : a doctrine that permits use of evidence obtained independently of unlawful conduct which ...