Glossary

Legal glossary

763 definitions · page 8 of 13.

Legal Terms - Personalty: Personalty information: This is another word for personal property. The opposite of realty.
Legal Terms - Petition: Petition information: The initial pleading by the claimant in a civil case. This document is filed with the court and served by summons on the defendant, who must respond by filing an answer within the time allowed.
Legal Terms - Plagiarism: Plagiarism information: Using the ideas or words of another author without payment, authorization, or permission. Presenting the written work of another as your own.
Legal Terms - Plea: Plea information: The response of a criminal to a charge, such as guilty or not guilty. A plea is also an averment, or statement made to the court seeking relief. A plea is a request or a response.
Legal Terms - Pleading: Pleading information: Term refers to the paper filed with the court in a case. The initial pleading is the petition in a civil case and the responsive pleading is the answer. Pleading is generally governed by detailed court rule in most jurisdictions. A…
Legal Terms - Points: Points information: In real estate law, especially as it relates to finance of real estate transactions, points are charges paid by a borrower for taking out a loan, usually in increments or one percent per point. The points are then amortized over the life…
Legal Terms - Pour Over Will: Pour Over Will information: A provision is a will that directs the destiny of assets after death, should they come to exist. These are common in trusts.
Legal Terms - Power Coupled With an Interest: Power Coupled With an Interest information: A power granted in an instrument that grants to the donee an interest in the property together with a power to do some act with respect to the granted property for the benefit of another. This power is irrevocable…
Legal Terms - Power of Appointment: Power of Appointment information: A power granted by the giver or donor of an estate or real property, to the donee, that allows the donee to dispose of the property (or income from the property) at issue, to anyone at all, but not to the donee himself.
Legal Terms - Power of Appointment Trust: Power of Appointment Trust information: This refers to the power by which a marital deduction trust is defined. The power of appointment granted to the trustee is limited to the spouse of the donor, and when the time comes the trustee must exercise that…
Legal Terms - Power of Attorney: Power of Attorney information: At writing that gives one person the power to act on behalf of another in a specific situation. A power will expire upon incapacity or death.
Legal Terms - Power of Revocation: Power of Revocation information: A power granted in an instrument that reserves to the grantee the power to undo the deed or to revoke the legal relation created by the instrument. This is also called a power to revoke.
Legal Terms - Power of Sale Clause: Power of Sale Clause information: A power granted in a mortgage or in a deed of trust that authorized the trustee or bank to sell the property involved without having to go to court for permission. This power, or authority, would arise should payments on the…
Legal Terms - Power to Revoke: Power to Revoke information: A power granted in an instrument that reserves to the grantee the power to undo the deed or to revoke the legal relation created by the instrument. This is also called a power of revocation.
Legal Terms - PPO, Preferred Provider Organization: PPO, Preferred Provider Organization information: A PPO is an organization, or group, of medical practitioners, clinics, hospitals, etc., that by contract have agreed to provide medical services to certain persons defined as insureds, under a health…
Legal Terms - Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Financing: Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Financing Information: Pre-Settlement Lawsuit Financing occurs when someone purchases from the claimant a portion of a future recovery or settlement. The portion is generally a defined amount, usually to cover living expenses pending…
Legal Terms - Precedent: Precedent information: A ruling on a legal issue, made by an appellate court, that should govern any similar parties faced with the same issue. A precedent is guidance to the lower courts immersed with similar issues.
Legal Terms - Precious Metals: Precious Metals Information: Certain valuable metals are traded on the commodity market, usually by certificates of ownership, rather than by movement of the metal itself. Gold Bullion, Silver, Palladium, and Platinum, in addition to certain coinage, are the…
Legal Terms - Preliminary Injunction: Preliminary Injunction information: An order requiring a defendant to do or refrain from doing some action the defendant could otherwise do, pending a full hearing or trial trial on the merits of the lawsuit.
Legal Terms - Presumption of Innocence: Presumption of Innocence information: Every criminal defendant is presumed to be not guilty of the offense charged and the burden of proof is on the prosecution to show evidence to the contrary. The criminal jury will be instructed on this concept during the…
Legal Terms - Prima Facia: Prima Facia information: That level of evidence that proves all essential elements of a claim. You cannot make a prima facia case without sufficient evidence. Literally, the phrase means "on its face."
Legal Terms - Principal: Principal information: One who employs or uses an agent is known as the principal. In finance matters, the principal is the amount that is loaned, or the amount upon which interest will apply.
Legal Terms - Principal Residence: Principal Residence information: In tax law, the principal residence is defined as the main place where a person actually resides, be it a home, houseboat, condominium, or even a mobile home.
Legal Terms - Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI): Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) information: An insurance policy that protects the lender should the borrower not pay.
Legal Terms - Privileged Communication: Privileged Communication information: A communication between persons having a recognized privilege against disclosure, such as attorney/client, physician/patient, priest/penitent, husband/wife, etc. There are limits on most of these privileges and the scope…
Legal Terms - Pro Se: Pro Se information: A litigant that represents himself is said to appear pro se. The old saying is a lawyer that represents himself has an idiot for a client.
Legal Terms - Probable Cause: Probable Cause information: Knowledge of facts or circumstances sufficient to allow a reasonably prudent person to believe the suspect committed an offense. This will allow an arrest to be made.
Legal Terms - Products Liability: Products Liability information: An area of negligence tort law involving personal injury caused by dangerous products. The danger comes by virtue of a negligent design, negligent manufacture, and negligent labeling. Products may be of any kind, from ladders…
Legal Terms - Professional Corporations: Professional Corporations Information: Many states allow certain professional services to be provided under a corporation business form known as the professional corporation. The professional corporation, also called a PC, is a common business form chosen by…
Legal Terms - Promissory Note: Promissory Note Information: A promissory note is a writing, or form, by which one party promises to pay another party a certain sum of money in the future. Virtually all promissory notes will contain a provision allowing an interest rate to be charged…
Legal Terms - Property: Property information: The right to hold, possess, sell, or otherwise dispose of a thing, tangible or intangible.
Legal Terms - Prosecute: Prosecute information: To bring and press a criminal charge through the court against someone.
Legal Terms - Prosecuting Attorney: Prosecuting Attorney information: The state's or government's attorney that is charged with bringing and pressing criminal charges through the court system.
Legal Terms - Provocation: Provocation information: The cause of a response, that may justify the action taken sufficient to be a defense to a charge.
Legal Terms - Public Company Accounting Oversight Board PCAOB: Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, PCAOB information: The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, was created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act. This board…
Legal Terms - Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, PCAOB: Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, PCAOB information: The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, was created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act. This board…
Legal Terms - Public Defender: Public Defender information: An attorney hired and paid by the state to defend an indigent criminal defendant.
Legal Terms - Public Domain: Public Domain information: A creation, usually intellectual or artistic, that is no longer subject to copyright protection, is said to be in the public domain and may be used or copied at will.
Legal Terms - Punitive Damages: Punitive Damages information: Damages that are meant to punish the defendant, and to deter the defendant and others similarly situated from committing the same wrong. Punitive damages are awarded in some civil cases where the actions are intentionally done…
Legal Terms - Rainmaker: Rainmaker information: One that gets credit for bringing in new business or clients to a law firm is known as a rainmaker.
Legal Terms - Rape: Rape information: Unlawful sexual intercourse with a female, against her will.
Legal Terms - Real Estate: Real Estate information: A brand or class of property consisting of land and buildings.
Legal Terms - Real Estate Agent: Real Estate Agent information: One that is licensed by the State to assist buyers and sellers of real property. Typically, agents are required to complete courses in real estate, including coursework in real estate law, financing and listing. Agents are…
Legal Terms - Real Estate Broker: Real Estate Broker information: Similar to an agent, a broker is licensed by the State to assist buyers and sellers of real property. Typically, agents are required to complete courses in real estate, including coursework in real estate law, financing and…
Legal Terms - Real Property: Real Property information: Land. Other types of property is generally personal property.
Legal Terms - Reasonable: Reasonable information: Fair and proper under the circumstances.
Legal Terms - Reasonable Accommodation: Reasonable Accommodation information: In discrimination cases involving the handicapped, a reasonable accommodation consists of measures taken by an employer to allow for, or adapt and adjust a workplace or public place, to the particular hardship faced by…
Legal Terms - Reasonable Doubt: Reasonable Doubt information: In criminal law, a defendant should be acquitted by the jury if it believes that there is a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. Reasonable doubt can be thought of as that degree of doubt, based on the evidence or lack…
Legal Terms - Reasonable Medical Probability: Reasonable Medical Probability information: In evidence law, especially in personal injury cases, a reasonable medical probability is the standard of certainty that an expert witness must have to testify that a particular injury was more likely than not…
Legal Terms - Reasonable Person: Reasonable Person information: In negligence and personal injury law, a reasonable person hypothetically gives us the standard of care that the defendant is accused of breaching. What would a reasonable person do in the same or similar circumstances?…
Legal Terms - Receiver: Receiver information: A person appointed by a court, or in some instances by a corporation, to receive, protect and collect property that may be subject to several diverse claims. Receivers are sometimes appointed in bankruptcy cases.
Legal Terms - Receivership: Receivership information: The state of being subject to or within the control of a receiver. A receiver is a person appointed by a court, or in some instances by a corporation, to receive, protect and collect property that may be subject to several diverse…
Legal Terms - Recording: Recording information: In property law, this refers to the system for governmental tracking of real property ownership. After property is transferred, the transaction should be recorded on the county records, to provide notice of the change to the public.
Legal Terms - Recusal: Recusal information: A withdrawal of a Judge from a case, usually where the Judge is interested somehow personally in the parties or the subject matter of the case, or where there is a reasonable appearance that a bias exists.
Legal Terms - Red Herring: Red Herring information: A false argument, meant to confuse and obscure the real issue. The practice is of questionable ethics.
Legal Terms - Redaction: Redaction information: The withdrawing of some portion of a document evidence, such as the name of unrelated third parties, or addresses, or in medical records evidence the name or reference to any insurance company.
Legal Terms - Redeem: Redeem information: Reclaiming and / or regaining possession of property. In bankruptcy cases, the debtor in bankruptcy has a right to redeem and may retake property by repurchase from a buyer who got the property from a forced sale.
Legal Terms - Redemption: Redemption information: In bankruptcy cases, the debtor in bankruptcy has a right of redemption and may redeem property by repurchase from the buyer who got the property from a forced sale. In mortgage cases, a debtor in default may redeem at several points…
Legal Terms - Redlining: Redlining information: This refers to unlawful discrimination through restriction of available credit away from preceived unsavory areas. Banks that engage in this practice are guilty of unlawful credit discrimination.
Legal Terms - Refinance: Refinance Information: To refinance is to renew a loan transaction. Essentially, the entire original loan agreement is done away with and it is replaced with a new agreement. Homeowners in recent years have been able to take advantage of declining market…