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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large monetary gift | Another term for a money transfer. | General Terms | |||
| Last antecedent rule | A rule of interpreting language which says that qualifying words or phrases refer to the text that comes right before, unless common sense shows that it applies to something else. | General Terms | |||
| Last clear chance | A rule, common to car accidents, saying that any negligence of the person suing is irrelevant when the person being sued could have avoided the accident altogether in the final moments before the accident occurred. | General Terms | |||
| Last will and testament | An old-fashioned term for a "will". | will | General Terms | ||
| Latent defect | A hidden flaw that cannot be discovered by reasonable inspection and which usually entitles the buyer to a refund or replacement. | hidden defect | hidden or concealed problem | General Terms | |
| Lateral support | A landowner's right to have his or her land physically supported by the land that lies next to it against any slippage, cave-in, or landslide. | support by side-by-side property | General Terms | ||
| Law firm | A business formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. | General Terms | |||
| Law of the case | The principle that an appellate court's decision on a legal issue is binding on both the trial court on remand and an appellate court on a subsequent appeal in the same case and with substantially the same facts. | General Terms | |||
| Law of the land | The body of rules, regulations, and laws that govern a country or jurisdiction. | all the laws of a place | laws, rules, statutes | General Terms | |
| Law violations (Juvenile) | § 43-247(1)-Misdemeanor Offenses § 43-247(2)-Felony offenses § 43-247(3)(b)-Truant/uncontrollable/harmful to self or others (status offenses) § 43-247(4) Traffic |
General Terms, Juvenile | |||
| Lawful | Legal | legal | legal, allowable, valid, just | General Terms | |
| Lawful issue | A person's children or other lineal descendants such as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It does not mean all heirs, but only the direct descendants. | heirs, descendants | Biological descendants, children, grandchildren | General Terms | |
| Lawful permanent resident | A non-U.S. citizen who has been given permission to legally reside and work within the U.S. | permanent resident alien, green card holder | General Terms | ||
| Lawsuit | A legal action started in a court of law by one person or entity against another. | case | suit, action, case | General Terms | |
| Lay a foundation | The act of demonstrating to a judge that a piece of evidence is authentic and trustworthy. | verifying | verifying, establish the qualifications | General Terms | |
| Lay witness | One without special knowledge or expertise; generally, any fact witness is considered lay. One with firsthand knowledge: what they heard, saw, or did. | eye witness | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Leading question | A question asked of a witness who is under oath, which suggests the answer (allowed only in cross-examination). | implies the answer, suggests the answer | General Terms | ||
| Lease | An oral or written agreement between two people or parties about one party's use of property owned by the other. | rental agreement | General Terms | ||
| Lease option | A term in a lease or contract that gives the tenant the right to buy the property at the end of the lease's term. | rent-to-own | General Terms | ||
| Lease option agreement | A lease that contains a clause that gives the tenant some power, either qualified or unqualified, to buy the landlord's interest in the property. | option to rent-to-own | General Terms | ||
| Leasehold | The tenant's right to real estate or right to occupy it, as established by a lease agreement or the owner's permission. | General Terms | |||
| Least restrictive environment | A requirement that special education students must be placed in regular classrooms whenever possible, while still meeting their special educational needs. | General Terms | |||
| Leave of court | Court says "ok". | permission | General Terms | ||
| Legacy | A bequest; a gift of personal property to a beneficiary of a will. | inheritance | gift, something passed on, inheritance, estate | General Terms | |
| Legal | In agreement with the law; related to the law. | lawful | Lawful, allowable, proper | General Terms | |
| Legal action | Any lawsuit, judicial proceeding, or prosecution, brought to protect a right or correct a legal violation or injustice. | case | case, suit | General Terms | |
| Legal advertising | Legal notices required by law to be published in court-approved local newspapers. | publication | publication | General Terms | |
| Legal age | The age at which a person is considered legally responsible for his or her own actions. The age a person is considered an adult. | age of consent | General Terms | ||
| Legal aid | Free or low-cost legal services for low-income individuals. | General Terms | |||
| Legal cause | An action that produces a direct consequence and is legally sufficient to produce liability. | action | action or event | General Terms | |
| Legal custody | The authority and responsibility of the parent(s) for making fundamental decisions regarding the child's welfare, including choices regarding education and health. (§ 43-1227) |
Domestic Relations, General Terms | |||
| Legal father | A man that is recognized by law as the male parent of a child. | male parent | General Terms | ||
| Legal fiction | An assumption that something is true by a court for convenience, consistency, or to achieve justice. | General Terms | |||
| Legal papers | Documents containing a statement of legal status, identity, authority, or ownership, or providing evidence of some type of obligation. | Legal documents | General Terms | ||
| Legal parent | A person who is recognized by the law as the parent of a child. This can be by blood or adoption. | parent | General Terms | ||
| Legal risk placement | A type of adoption where a child is placed with prospective permanent adoptive parents before the rights of the natural parents have been surrendered or terminated with finality. | General Terms | |||
| Legal separation | Decree of a court of competent jurisdiction providing that two persons who have been legally married shall thereafter live separate and apart and providing for any necessary adjustment of property, support, and custody rights between the parties but not dissolving the marriage. (§ 42- 347(7)) |
Domestic Relations, General Terms | |||
| Legal succession | The distribution of property according to the law, which is used when the owner died without a will. | transfer without a will | General Terms | ||
| Legal tender | Notes and coins issued by a government that must be accepted as payment of a debt. | money | money, currency | General Terms | |
| Legatee | A person or organization who receives a gift from a will. | beneficiary | beneficiary, heir, receiver | General Terms | |
| Legitimate | Legal, proper, or real. | real | authentic, valid, legal, real, proper | General Terms | |
| Lessee | The renter of the property (the tenant). | tenant | tenant, renter | General Terms | |
| Lesser crime (lesser included offense) | A crime that comprises a part but not all of a more complex crime. | General Terms | |||
| Lessor | The owner of the property (the landlord). | landlord | landlord, owner | General Terms | |
| Let | To lease or rent real property to another person. | rent | rent, lease | General Terms | |
| Letter of credit | A letter from a financial institution guaranteeing payment of a certain amount on behalf of a customer. | bank guarantee | guarantee of funds | General Terms | |
| Letter of request | A document from a court to a foreign court requesting some type of judicial assistance. | General Terms | |||
| Letters of administration | The document appointing an administrator to property left by a person who died without a will. | General Terms | |||
| Leverage | The use of borrowed money to purchase property, where the amount borrowed is a most of the value of the purchased property. To borrow most of the funds necessary to purchase real estate or business assets. | General Terms | |||
| Levy | To obtain money with legal permission by seizure and/or sale of property. | seize and sell | seize, sell, collect | General Terms |