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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud on title | A cloud on title is a valid claim or lien which impairs an owner's otherwise free right to dispose of property. To remove such a claim, an action is brought to quiet title. | lien | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Code | A collection of written laws, often grouped by subject matter. A state may have separate codes such as a civil code, corporations code, evidence code, penal code, etc. | laws | laws, statutes | General Terms | |
| Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) | A list of rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the federal government. | General Terms, Court Reporting | |||
| Codefendant | One of two or more defendants charged with the same crime or sued in the same case. Also called joint defendant. | General Terms | |||
| Codicil | A supplement or an addition to a will. It is signed with the same formalities as a will. The codicil can be changed, revoked, cancelled, or destroyed at any time. | addition to a will | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Codify | The process of arranging and labeling a system of laws. | organizing laws | organizing, numbering, arranging the law | General Terms | |
| Cohabitant | A person who lives with another person. | roommate | roommate, coresident, cohabitant, another resident | General Terms | |
| Cohabitation | Living together in the same home either as spouses or unmarried partners. | living together | living together | General Terms | |
| Coinsurance | Percentage of costs you are responsible for after deductibles are met. A type of cost sharing. | General Terms | |||
| Collateral | Property that is promised as security for the payment of a debt. | pledge | security, surety, pledge | General Terms | |
| Collateral estoppel | A legal doctrine that says that a judgment in one case prevents the people in that case from suing for the same issues in another case. It protects defendants from being sued for the same issue more than once. | cannot re-sue | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Collection agency | A company hired by a creditor to collect a debt. Creditors typically hire a collection agency only when they have not been able to collect the debt on their own. | debt collectors | debt collectors | General Terms | |
| Collective mark | A name, symbol, or other device used by members of an organization to identify its goods or services and membership in that organization. | trademark | branding, trademark | General Terms | |
| Collusion | Secret cooperation between two people or entities intended to defraud or gain an unfair advantage, for example, price-fixing by companies supposed to be competitors. Secret cooperation to gain an unfair advantage. | scam | conspiracy, racket, scheme, scam | General Terms | |
| Comaker | One of two or more people who sign the same check or promissory note. Each comaker is liable for the entire amount to be paid. | co-signer | Co-signer | General Terms | |
| Comfort care | Medical care intended to ease pain and discomfort. Also called palliative care. | General Terms | |||
| Comity | The principle that one jurisdiction will recognize the executive, legislative, and judicial acts of another jurisdiction and will give effect to the other's laws. Recognize and enforce, enforce as a matter of courtesy. | recognize | good will, agreement, | General Terms | |
| Commence | Start | start | start, begin | General Terms | |
| Comment | A statement made by a judge or lawyer during a trial that is based on an alleged, but unproven fact. The lawyer for the other side may object, and the judge may remind the jury that such comments are not evidence. | statement of opinion | General Terms | ||
| Commercial law | The laws that apply to the rights, relations, and conduct of people and businesses in commerce. This body of law has been codified in the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which has been adopted by most of the U.S. states. | UCC | UCC | General Terms | |
| Commingling | The mixing of the funds belonging to one person or entity with those of another. Spouses and business partners may generally commingle assets without a problem. But spouses in community property states risk turning their separate property into community property (transmutation). | combining | blending, merging, combining | General Terms | |
| Commission | A group appointed by law to conduct government business, especially regulation. Examples include a local planning or zoning commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). | committee | board, committee, delegation | General Terms | |
| Commit | 1. To do something, such as a crime. | carry out | do, act out, carry out | General Terms | |
| Commitment | A judge's order sending someone to jail or prison, upon conviction or before trial (for diagnostic purposes), or directing that a mentally unstable person be confined to a mental institution. | send to jail | General Terms | ||
| Common law | 1. The law of a country based on custom, usage, and the decision of law courts. 2. Customary, old, or "judge-made" law, as opposed to statutory law. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Common property | Property owned by two or more people. | jointly owned | General Terms | ||
| Community Mediation Center ("Centers") | Private, non-profit centers which provide neutral third parties to help resolve issues and negotiate settlements. | Mediation Center | Mediation Center | General Terms, Office of Dispute Resolution | |
| Community obligations | Community obligations are the debts that the spouses owe together. In most cases, that includes anything still owed on any debts either spouse took on during marriage. | shared debts | General Terms | ||
| Community property | Community property is everything that the spouses own together. In most cases that includes, all property and profits acquired during marriage except property received by inheritance, gift, or as the profits from separate property owned before marriage. | shared property | General Terms | ||
| Community service | A special condition the court imposes that requires an individual to work without pay for a civic or non-profit organization. | General Terms | |||
| Commutation | The change of a punishment from a greater degree to a lesser degree, as from death to life imprisonment. | reduce a sentence | General Terms, News Reporter Guide | ||
| Company | Any for profit business, such as a corporation, partnership, or individual proprietorship. | business | business, corporation | General Terms | |
| Comparative negligence | 1. A rule of law applied in negligence cases in which responsibility and damages are based on the proportional fault of each of the parties directly involved. 2. The doctrine by which acts of the opposing parties in a civil action are compared in the degrees of "slight," "ordinary, "and "gross" negligence. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Compensation | Payment for work performed or damages suffered. | payment | payment, reward | General Terms | |
| Compensatory damages | Money that one person must pay another to cover the cost of a wrong or injury, such as compensation for lost wages. | award | award, payment | General Terms | |
| Competence | 1. The state of being able or qualified to do something, such as to make a will or testify in court. | ability | capacity, qualification, capability | General Terms | |
| Competence order | An order from a superior court that says a defendant is mentally fit to go to trial. | General Terms | |||
| Competent | Able to perform a job or occupation, or to reason or make decisions, or to stand trial or testify. | able | qualified, capable, fit, able | General Terms | |
| Competent evidence | Legally admissible evidence that may prove an issue in dispute. In a murder trial, for example, competent evidence might include the murder weapon with the defendant's fingerprints on it. | legally allowed evidence | General Terms | ||
| Competent witness | A person who is legally qualified to testify as a witness. The qualifications may depend on the witness's age, mental capacity, and relationship to the matter at issue. | legally qualified | General Terms | ||
| Complainant | The person or group who starts a case against another person. In a civil case, the complainant is the plaintiff. In a criminal case, the complainant is the state. | plaintiff | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Complaint | The first written statement in a lawsuit, in which the plaintiff's claims against the defendant are listed. Also called the "initial pleading" or "petition." A complaint is also used to start a criminal case. | statement of charges | accusations, grievance, first pleading | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Compos mentis | Sane; of sound mind. | sane | sane | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Compound question | A single question that actually asks more than one thing. In a trial or deposition, the opposing party can object to such a question. If the objection is sustained, the question must be withdrawn and asked in a series of separate questions. | two-part question | General Terms | ||
| Compromise | An agreement between opposing sides to settle a dispute or reach an agreement in which each side gives some ground instead of continuing the dispute or going to trial. | settlement | agreement, settlement | General Terms | |
| Compromise verdict | A jury verdict that occurs when some jurors compromise their opinions in order to avoid coming to a verdict in disagreement. | General Terms | |||
| Compulsory | Required | required | mandatory, required | General Terms | |
| Concealed weapon | A weapon, particularly a handgun, which is kept hidden on one's person or under one's control (in a glove compartment or under a car seat). Carrying a concealed weapon is a crime unless the person with the weapon is a law enforcement officer or has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. | hidden weapon | General Terms | ||
| Concealment | Not sharing information that should be disclosed in good faith. It can be a cause for cancelling a contract or a civil lawsuit for fraud. | hiding information | General Terms | ||
| Conciliation | A process whereby a third party works with parties separately to improve communication, facilitate direct discussion, and ultimately, reach a voluntary settlement between the parties. | mediation | agreement, compromise, mediation | General Terms, Office of Dispute Resolution |