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.
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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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testate | A person having left a will at death. | made and left a will | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates | ||
| Testator | 1. One who makes or has made a will. 2. The person who makes and signs a will, and, in it, disposes of his or her property. Testatrix is the female term, but it is common, as a convenience, to use the term testator for either a man or a woman. | person who makes a will | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Testify | To give evidence under oath as a witness in a court proceeding. | give facts | affirm, certify, give evidence, speak for, give facts | General Terms | |
| Testimony | 1. Evidence given by a witness under oath. 2. Evidence given by a competent witness, under oath, as distinguished from evidence derived from writings and other sources. | official court statement | statement of affirmation, deposition, statement of truth | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, District Court Civil, County Court Civil, Court Reporting | |
| Third party claim | A claim filed by a defendant who feels that some third party (not yet involved in the case) is responsible and owes him or her money that should be used to satisfy any judgment the plaintiff may win from the defendant. | General Terms | |||
| Third-party action | A third party action is brought as part of a lawsuit which is already pending before the court, but distinct from the main claim. | General Terms | |||
| Ticket | A citation, usually for a traffic or parking violation. | citation | General Terms | ||
| Time served | The amount of time a criminal defendant has already spent in jail waiting for his or her trial. When a defendant is sentenced with "time served," the defendant is set free. | without additional jail time | General Terms | ||
| Time waiver | When you give up the right to have a certain phase of the legal process take place within the normally specified amount of time. | timeline waiver | time limit relinquishment, timeline waiver | General Terms | |
| Time-share | A plan that says when parents spend time with their children. Also called visitation or parenting plan. | parenting plan | visitation plan, parenting plan | General Terms | |
| Timely | Within the time required by law, court rules, or contract. | within timeframe | within timeframe, prompt, punctual | General Terms | |
| Title | The ownership or evidence of ownership of land or other property. | deed of ownership | ownership claim, deed, deed of ownership | General Terms | |
| Tort | 1. A civil wrong. 2. An injury or wrong committed, either with or without force, to the person or property of another. | civil wrong-doing | wrong against another person, civil wrong | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Tortfeasor | 1. A defendant who is alleged or is actually found to have committed a civil wrong. 2. A person that commits or is found guilty of a tort. | person who commits a civil offense | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Tortious | Describes an act that is or could be considered tort. | related to a civil wrong-doing | General Terms | ||
| Transcript | 1. A written, word-for-word record of what was said at a trial or some other formal conversation like a hearing or deposition. 2.The official record of proceedings in a trial or hearing. | word-for-word record | court log, documentation, exact record, word-for-word record | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, District Court Civil, County Court Civil, Court Reporting | |
| Transfer | A judge's order to transfer a case from one court to another before a hearing or trial is held in the matter. | order to move case | court transfer, court order to move a case | General Terms | |
| Transformative Mediation | Grounded in empowerment and recognition by each party of the other’s needs, interests, values, and points of view. Empowerment is about increasing the skills of both sides to make better decisions for themselves; recognition helps expand parties' ability and willingness to relate to others in a more understanding and considerate way. The goal with transformative mediation is long-term change in the parties and in their interpersonal relationships. The United States Postal Service is one of the most well-known users of transformative mediation through their REDRESS mediation program. | General Terms, Office of Dispute Resolution | |||
| Transgender | Describes a person whose self-identified gender does not match their sex at birth. | trans person, transgender | General Terms | ||
| Trespass | A wrongful entry, whether with force or peacefully, onto the property of another. | unlawful entry | intrusion, unlawful entry | General Terms | |
| Trial | A court process in which the issues of fact and law are heard and decided according to legal procedures so a judicial officer or jury can make a decision in the case. | court case, legal proceedings, legal hearings, judicial proceedings, suit, lawsuit | General Terms | ||
| Trial court | The first court to consider a case, generally the superior court. | the first court | Original Court, court of record | General Terms | |
| Trial jury | A group of citizens who hear the evidence presented by both sides at trial and determine the facts in dispute. | jury | jury, jury of peers, petit jury | General Terms | |
| Tribunal | A court or administrative agency authorized to establish, enforce or modify support orders or to determine paternity. In Nebraska, the district court is the tribunal. (§ 42-703) |
authorized court | family law court, authorized court | Domestic Relations, General Terms | |
| Trier of fact | 1. One with responsibility to decide what evidence is true or which witnesses are to be believed. 2. Judge or jury in a case who determines the outcome of the dispute. | jury, judge | judge or jury | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Trust | A legal entity established either by a trust agreement signed by a person during his or her life or arising after death from a will or testamentary trust. The trust is governed by the terms in the documents. | account for holding property | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide | ||
| Trust - charitable trust | A trust, or portion of a trust, created for a charitable purpose. | charitable gift | charitable gift, charitable inheritance | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates | |
| Trust - inter vivos trust (inter vee-vohs) | A trust created "between the living". | living trust, while still alive | living trust, account created while transferor is living | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates | |
| Trust - testamentary trust | The trust that comes into being only as a result of the death of a person whose will provides for the creation of the trust after his or her death; hence the term “testamentary”. | After-death trust formation | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates | ||
| Trust fund | Money, stocks, bonds, or securities held under the control of someone for the use and benefit of another. | General Terms | |||
| Trustee | 1. A person appointed to execute a trust. 2. The individual or corporation who in a trust has legal title to the assets and has the power given in the trust to carry out the wishes of the person or persons (trustor) who created the trust. The trustee has a fiduciary obligation to the trust’s beneficiaries. The trustee shall observe the standards in dealing with the rust assets that would be observed by a prudent person dealing with property of another, and, if the trustee has special skills, he or she is under a duty to use those skills. Although he or she has legal title for convenience, the beneficial or equitable title is, in fact, owned by the beneficiaries. When there is more than one trustee, the trustees are called co-trustees. | executor, administrator | administrator, agent, keeper, executor | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Trustor | The person who establishes the trust. There can be more than one trustor. | creator of the trust | grantor, settlor, donor, creator of the trust | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates | |
| Trusty | An inmate granted special privileges. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Turnover order | Court order (after motion) requiring a judgment debtor to turn over specified property to the levying officer. | order to give property to another | order to relinquish, order to give property to another | General Terms | |
| U.S. Attorney | A lawyer appointed by the president of the U.S. in each federal judicial district to prosecute and defend cases for the federal government. The Office of the U.S. Attorney has a staff of assistant U.S. attorneys that appear as the government's attorneys in individual cases. | General Terms | |||
| U.S. Trustee | An officer of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for supervising the administration of bankruptcy cases, estates, and trustees. | General Terms | |||
| Ultra vires | Beyond the power, and act beyond the authority of a person or corporation to perform. | act beyond their power | outside of their authority, beyond their power | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Unclaimed funds | Support payment that can't be disbursed because the identity of the payor, or the address of the payee, is unknown. | unclaimed money | unassigned funds, unclaimed money | General Terms | |
| Unconstitutional | In violation of the Constitution. Does not comply with the constitution. | violating the Constitution | illegal, unlawful, illegitimate, does not comply with the Constitution | General Terms | |
| Uncontested divorce | A divorce in which both spouses agree on property division and custody (if they have children) and file court papers that support their agreement. | divorce with no arguments | amicable dissolution, amicable divorce, agreeable dissolution | General Terms | |
| Undersecured claim | A debt secured by property that is worth less than the amount of the debt. | General Terms | |||
| Undersigned | Person who signed this. | person who signed | General Terms | ||
| Undertaking | A promise given during a legal proceeding by a party or his or her attorney, usually as a condition of getting some concession from the court or the other party. | promise | promise, pledge | General Terms | |
| Undocumented immigrant | A foreign-born person who enters the U.S. without permission or stays beyond the expiration date of an allowed visit. | enters U.S. without permission | General Terms | ||
| Undue hardship | Occurs when an employer's attempt to accommodate someone's particular need would be overly difficult or expensive. | too difficult or too expensive | excessive burden, too difficult or too expensive | General Terms | |
| Undue influence | Whatever destroys free will and causes a person to do something he or she would not do if left to himself or herself. | outside pressure | outside influence, outside pressure | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Unearned income | Income from investments or any other income that is not compensation for services. | investment income | General Terms | ||
| Unemployment compensation | Payment to qualified unemployed workers for a given period of time or until they find a new job. | unemployment checks | General Terms | ||
| Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) | UIFSA provisions and requirements are set forth in Sec. §§42-701 to 42-751, R.R.S., 2008. Establishes child support enforcement in other states or countries. |
Domestic Relations, General Terms | |||
| Uninhabitable | A rental unit that has problems or defects so serious that they affect the tenant's health or safety. | unfit to live in | unlivable, damaged beyond repair, unfit to live in | General Terms |