Glossary
This glossary may be used to find the definitions of many legal terms.
In many instances, there are synonyms and plain language options provided for the terms.
You may search within this glossary:
- by entering a term in the “Keyword Search” field.
- by choosing a “Type” from the drop-down list such as “Estate” or “Small Claims.”
- by choosing the beginning letter in the “Filter by Letter” drop-down list to display only the terms that start with that letter.
A combination of these search options can be used to provide a more defined result.
Note that this glossary may not contain all legal terms.
| Term | Definition | Plain Language | Synonyms | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furnish | Give or provide information. | provide | Give Information, provide, present, supply | General Terms | |
| Future interest | A right to own property sometime in the future, either on a particular date or upon the occurrence of an event. | ownership in the future | General Terms | ||
| Gag order | A court order that tells the lawyers, witnesses, jury, parties and others involved in a court case to not talk about the case. | General Terms | |||
| Garnish | To set aside funds (usually through payroll) and send that money to pay some debt. | take assets | General Terms | ||
| Garnishee | The person upon whom a garnishment is serviced. The person or entity alleged to owe or be in possession of money or property of the judgement debtor, who receives an order to hold and report that property to the court for potential submission to a creditor in payment of a judgment. | bank or employer | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, District Court Civil, County Court Civil, Court Reporting | ||
| Garnishment | A proceeding to obtain property, wages or money owed to the judgment debtor by a third person and apply it to the amount owed the judgment creditor. | order to seize property | General Terms, Small Claims, News Reporter Guide, District Court Civil, County Court Civil, Court Reporting | ||
| Garnishment of property | A procedure whereby the Court has the defendant's bank account seized and the money paid to the plaintiff to satisfy the judgment. | take from bank account | General Terms | ||
| Garnishment of wages | A procedure whereby a portion of the defendant's wages are deducted regularly and paid to the plaintiff to satisfy a judgment. | take from wages | General Terms | ||
| General appearance | The first time an attorney appears in court for a client. After a general appearance, the attorney is responsible for all future appearances in court, unless the attorney sends a substitute lawyer or is fired by the client. | first appearance | General Terms | ||
| General bequest | A gift of money in a will. | General Terms | |||
| General counsel | A lawyer who serves as the chief of a legal department. | General Terms | |||
| General damages | Money won in a lawsuit for injuries suffered or breach of contract the value of which is difficult to calculate. It may include: pain and suffering, compensation for a shortened life expectancy, and loss of companionship. | General Terms | |||
| General denial | An answer to a lawsuit or claim, in which the defendant denies everything alleged in the complaint without specifically denying any allegation. | written denial | General Terms | ||
| General jurisdiction | A court may hear any matter constitutionally permitted. A court that can hear a broad range of cases. | General Terms, Court Reporting | |||
| General law | A law that applies to an entire state or specific cities in a state. | General Terms | |||
| General ledger | An accounting that includes double-entry entries for a business. A book that logs financial data for a business. | General Terms | |||
| General lien | A lien that is meant to pay a debt, but is not limited to a certain property owned by the debtor. A hold that can attach to all property owned by a debtor. | General Terms | |||
| General partner | A person who along with another owns and operates a business, and is personally liable for all business's debts and obligations. | co-owner | co-owner, partner | General Terms | |
| General plan | A term used to describe a land-use document that shows or establishes zones for different types of development, uses, traffic patterns, and future development in a city, county, or other area. | master plan | General Terms | ||
| General power of attorney | A document that authorizes the designated person (an agent) to make a broad range of decisions for the person who created the document. | POA | General Terms | ||
| General verdict rule | A jury's overall finding for one of the parties in a lawsuit. | General Terms | |||
| General warrant | A warrant that gives a law enforcement officer broad discretion or authority to search and seize unspecified places or persons. This type of warrant is illegal or unconstitutional because it is too broad. | General Terms | |||
| Genetic testing | A medical test to determine legal fatherhood (or "paternity"). | General Terms | |||
| Geographic jurisdiction | Area within which a Court may exercise its authority to hear cases. | General Terms, Court Reporting | |||
| Gift | 1. (Verb)To transfer property without payment or conditions. 2. (Noun) Something that is transferred to another person without payment or conditions. | General Terms | |||
| Gift tax | A federal tax that applies to property given away during life or left at death. Most gifts made during life are not taxable, including gifts of up to a specific amount per year per recipient, gifts to tax-exempt charities, gifts to your spouse, and gifts made for tuition or medical bills. | General Terms | |||
| Give consideration to | Consider, think about. | Think over | Contemplate, review, study | General Terms | |
| Give recognition to | Recognize | acknowledge | Acknowledge, accept, allow | General Terms | |
| Good cause | A legally sufficient reason for some action. A good faith reason to take an action. | good reason | General Terms | ||
| Good consideration | A reason for doing something based on love, affection, generosity, or duty. | General Terms | |||
| Good faith | Honest effort to do something, with no intent to defraud someone. Act sincerely, with open intentions. | honestly | Faithfully, Honestly, pledge, promise, word, valid, legitimate | General Terms | |
| Good title | Title to property that is valid in fact or law or beyond a reasonable doubt. | title with no liens | General Terms | ||
| Goods | Items held for sale in a business, such as a retail store. | merchandise | Materials | General Terms | |
| Goodwill | An intangible benefit of a business because of its name and good reputation. In an acquisition, goodwill is valued as the amount paid for the business above the fair market cost of all the business's assets. | benefit of a good reputation | General Terms | ||
| Governing law | Also known as a choice of law, a term in a contract that specifies which states laws should be followed if the contract is disputed. | General Terms | |||
| Grace period | The period of time during which a debtor is not required to make payments on a debt and will not be charged a fee. | extra time before paying | General Terms | ||
| Grand jury | Special jury in criminal law which determines whether evidence is sufficient to warrant trail; if the evidence is sufficient, the grand jury issues an indictment. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Grand larceny | The crime of theft of another's property over a certain value set by state law (for example, $500). | theft over a certain value | General Terms | ||
| Grand theft | Theft of property or services with a monetary value over a specified amount, or of a specified kind of property (as an automobile). | theft over a certain value | General Terms | ||
| Grandfather clause | A condition in a law that limits its application to individuals or businesses that are new to the system, while those already in the system are exempt from the new regulation. | can follow old rules | Special privilege | General Terms | |
| Grant | Approve, make (an order). | agree to | authorize, allow, assign, award, give | General Terms | |
| Grant deed | A deed to real estate that implies that the person transferring the property actually has good title and that there are no liens on the property, except as described in the deed. This is the most commonly used type of deed. | title transfer document | General Terms | ||
| Grantee | Someone who receives title to real estate from a seller (grantor) in a document called a grant deed or quitclaim deed. | recipient | Acceptor, new owner, recipient | General Terms | |
| Grantor | The individual or corporation who makes a grant of property to another person, e.g., grantor of a trust, grant of a deed of property. | giver | donor, giver, previous owner | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates | |
| Grantor trust | A trust that is made by an agreement that is not a will. The Trustor maintains control of the property. | General Terms | |||
| Gravamen | The part of a charge that weighs most heavily against the accused. The part that is the most substantial charge. | main part | center, core, focus, root, substance | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Green card | A well-known term for an Alien Registration Card, which is given to people who are legal permanent residents of the U.S. | General Terms | |||
| Gross estate | All of the deceased's real and personal property at death that may be passed by will or inheritance. | all property | General Terms | ||
| Gross income | The total income of a person or business from all sources, before subtracting adjustments, exemptions, or deductions allowed by tax law. | income before taxes | Taxable income | General Terms | |
| Gross lease | A commercial real estate lease in which the tenant pays a fixed amount of rent per month or year, regardless of the landlord's operating costs, such as maintenance, taxes and insurance. | rent includes expenses | General Terms |