Incapacity: Lack of sufficient legal, physical or intellectual strength to perform an action. Ex post facto: retrospectively; A law that is enacted after the performance of an act and that makes it retroactively illegal. Such laws are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. The legal power of a court to hear and decide a particular type of case. It is also used as a synonym for jurisdiction, i.e. the geographical area over which the court has territorial jurisdiction to rule on cases. Classifying a word or phrase as an art concept can have legal consequences. In Molzof v. United States, 502 U.S. 301, 112 pp. Ct. 711, 116 L.

Ed. 2d 731 (1992), Shirley M. Molzof sued the federal government after her husband, Robert E. Molzof, suffered irreversible brain damage while being treated by state hospital employees. The federal government admitted its liability and the parties argued the issue of damages in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. Molzof had brought the action as executor of her husband`s estate under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) (28 U.S.C.A. §§ 1346(b), 2671-2680 [1988]), which prohibits the imposition of punitive damages against the federal government. The court awarded Molzof compensation for injuries sustained by her husband as a result of the negligence of federal employees, but refused to compensate for future medical expenses and loss of enjoyment of life. In the Court`s view, these damages constituted punitive damages which could not be claimed from the Federal Government. The study of the law and the structure of the legal system Lawyer: A person who provides legal advice, assistance or reasoning on behalf of a party before a court or tribunal; a lawyer. With respect to civil actions in “equity” and not in “law”.

In English legal history, courts of “law” could order the payment of damages and could offer no other remedy (see damages). A separate “fairness” tribunal could order someone to do something or stop something (e.g., injunction). In U.S. jurisprudence, federal courts have both legal and just power, but the distinction is always important. For example, a jury trial is generally available in “legal cases,” but not in “fairness” cases. Instructions from a judge to the jury before it begins deliberations on the substantive questions to be answered and the legislation to be applied. Implicit: When the intention of the parties is not obvious by direct terms, but results from related circumstances or behaviour. Testimony: The testimony of a witness or party under oath in a judicial proceeding or testimony. A bankruptcy case filed either without a timetable or with incomplete schedules listing few creditors and debts. (Aluminum foil deposits are often made to delay an eviction or foreclosure clause: a paragraph or subdivision of a legal document such as a contract. Privacy right: A universally recognized right to be left alone and to live one`s life free from unwarranted advertising or interference. The interference with the right to privacy may give rise to a cause of action or tort.

1. On appeal, a panel of judges (usually three) to decide the case; 2. In the jury selection process, the pool of potential jurors; 3. The list of lawyers who are both available and qualified to act as public defenders for criminal accused persons who cannot afford their own lawyer. A legal procedure to deal with the debt problems of individuals and companies; in particular, a case filed under one of the chapters of title 11 of the United States Code. Option: An open offer to sell that must be accepted by the option beneficiary under the terms of the option, and if it is not accepted within the specified time, the right to do so will be forfeited. If you search for the word “fraud” in a legal dictionary, the basic definition is largely the same. However, this is not the end of the story. Harvard libraries have more than 600 titles classified as legal dictionaries published in 2000 or later. To see a list of them, run this HALLIS search: Subject = Law AND dictionaries; deadline = 2000-2018; Location limit = In the library. That said, not everything people think is “fraud” is. According to Bouvier, “a statement that is too far-fetched to be reasonably believed, a statement that requires illegal behavior to rely on, or a statement that is too broad to be the basis of a specific trust may not be fraudulent.” Thus, before a (good responsible lawyer) coincides with a term like “fraud” or “fraudulent” to describe an act or person, they should probably review their legal definition, especially since the use of this word can have legal implications in both civil and criminal law contexts.

Since language is important to lawyers and jurists, we should know where to look for legal terms in the art to make sure we understand and use them correctly. The Law Library has many resources for this type of research. Written statements submitted to the court outlining a party`s legal or factual allegations about the case. You will see when you do this research that many dictionaries are not in English. Some of them are exclusively in another language, while others are multilingual legal dictionaries that provide translations of legal terms. Paralegal: A person who is trained for various legal tasks but is not licensed to practise law. The legal system that originated in England and is now used in the United States is based on the articulation of legal principles in a historical succession of judicial decisions. Common law principles can be changed by statute. For cause: with sufficient legal justification to take action. Legal issue: Controversial point of law subject to a court decision. Fraud Status: The requirement that certain types of contracts be written to be enforceable. Examples include contracts for the purchase or sale of land and contracts which, because of their terms, cannot be executed within one year.

While legal dictionaries are great for basic definitions, what if you just need a little more information — maybe not as long as a book or article, but just a few more paragraphs to provide extra context? This is the role for which legal encyclopedias were created.