![Legal Terms Dictionary [60+ Most Common Words]](/static/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpineapplecdn.sfo3.digitaloceanspaces.com%2Fcms%2Fbcba421b40a50b84378ae67046ab07c1.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
| Jargon Word | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Affidavit of Service | A sworn statement that a copy of a legal document has been delivered to another party. Same as a proof of service. |
| Appeal | The process of requesting a higher court to review a decision made by a lower court. |
| Appearance | The act of entering a courtroom and participating in the proceedings. |
| Bad Address | We tried to serve someone at this address and it doesn't look like they live / work there. (Neighbor doesn't know them, manager doesn't know them, resident doesn't know them, etc) |
| Binding Arbitration | A way to settle disputes without going to court, by having an arbitrator or panel hear arguments from both sides, make a decision based on the evidence presented and then issue an award. When arbitration is required by law or contract, it cannot be avoided by either party except through appeal. |
| Case | An instance when someone files legal action against another person or entity; also used as an adjective to describe the entire set of facts involved in such an action (such as "a case involving wrongful termination"). |
| Cause of Action | The reason someone is suing. What someone is suing over. |
| Certified Mail | A method of sending documents via U.S. Postal Service where receipt is guaranteed if the addressee's signature is obtained upon delivery; often used when sending sensitive materials such as legal documents because it provides proof that they were delivered successfully. |
| Claim | The reason someone is suing. What someone is suing over. |
| Conformed Copy | A document that has been approved and filed by the court, and shows some kind of stamp, record, or case number placed there by the court. Usually refers to court filings that have been accepted. |
| Continuance | An order issued by a court to postpone a case to a later date. |
| Counterclaim | A claim filed by a defendant in response to the plaintiff's complaint. |
| Court | The organization that has jurisdiction over a civil case, including the authority to hear evidence and render judgment. |
| Court Clerk | An administrative office employee who is responsible for maintaining court records and facilitating the proceedings of the court. This is the person who will physically accept, file, and record a case in the record. This person cannot give legal advice and is not a judge or party to the court case. |
| DBA (Doing business As) | The legal name of an individual or business entity that uses another name under which it operates or is known. Usually, this is their "store front" name. |
| Default Judgement | A judgment entered against a party who does not respond to a summons or complaint within a certain of amount of time after being served. In some states, a formal response is not required and it is assumed the defendant disputes the claims being made. |
| Defendant | The person that is being sued by the court of law. The one who receives process from a plaintiff in a lawsuit, requiring them to appear in court and answer allegations made against them by the plaintiff. |
| Defendant Service | The delivery of process from one party (plaintiff) to another party (defendant) in a civil lawsuit or criminal prosecution through an authorized third party or official channel such as law enforcement officials or postal services |
| Demand Letter | Formal letter sent to a person or debtor, informing them of their obligations and indicating that the debt will be collected by legal action if they do not respond to the letter's requests. |
| Dismissal | Informing the court that a lawsuit that was filed is no longer being pursued and does not need to be heard. Dismissals are done with prejudice or without prejudice. |
| Dismissal with prejudice | Case is dismissed without the possibility of refiling the case. This is done to indicate the parties have permanently resolved their dispute, and no further litigation on the matter is possible. |
| Dismissal without prejudice | Case is dismissed while allowing for future re-opening. This This is done to indicate that the case dismissal may be temporary or that the dispute was resolved for now, but with the possibility that there will be further issues in the future which may result in a lawsuit. |
| Docket | The court’s calendar. This is the list of lawsuits that have been filed and the times that they will be heard. |
| Document Return | Process for the retrieval of conformed copies, proof of service and uploading it into our server |
| Evidence | Documents, objects, or other things that are told to the court to provide objective facts for the argument that a party is making. |
| Fee Waiver | Same as pauper’s waiver. A request to have the court waive the filing fee due to financial hardship. |
| Filing Fee | The amount of money the court charges to accept a case. This fee is charged to cover the costs of running the court. Can be waived in some cases of financial hardship. |
| Hearing | The actual court trial where a judge will listen to both sides make their case. |
| Judgment | The final decision of the court as to the outcome of a lawsuit. Can also refer to the amount of money (or property) the court decides is owed by one party to answer. |
| Jurisdiction | The court that has authority over a case. Jurisdiction usually changes from location to location, and in some cases, based on the type of case being heard. |
| Lawsuit | A claim made in court of an injury or wrong done to someone, for which the person who caused that injury has to pay damages, provide something (e.g. stolen property), or stop doing something that is causing the injury. |
| Litigants | person(s) involved in a lawsuit |
| Litigation | A lawsuit. |
| Mediation | A session where the two sides try to come to an agreement without the official trial happening with the judge. Usually happens pre-trial. Sometimes required by the court to be tried first in order to get a trial date scheduled. |
| Motion | A filing with the court that requests the judge or court to do something. |
| Notarize | a online tool that lets user signs documents with a notary |
| Notary | a publicly commissioned official who serves as an impartial witness to the signing of a legal document |
| Parties | The plaintiff and defendants. In other words, the people participating in the lawsuit on either side. |
| Pauper’s Waiver | A request to the court to waive court fees due to financial hardship. |
| Petition | Paperwork submitted to ask (to petition) the court to schedule a hearing. Often called a Plaintiff’s Claim in some places. |
| Plaintiff | The person that is filing a claim. |
| Plaintiff’s Claim | Paperwork submitted to ask (to claim to) the court to schedule a hearing. Often called a Plaintiff’s Petition in some places. |
| Postponement | Changing the trial date (or court date) to happen later in the future. |
| Pro Se | Representing yourself in court with the representation of a lawyer. |
| Process Server | A person who is responsible for serving the court papers on behalf of the plaintiff to the defendant. This person is usually licensed if they are a professional who is paid for their work. Cannot be the plaintiff themself - must be someone who is not party to the case. |
| Proof of Service | A document that is prepared and signed by the process server which states how and when a defendant was served in court. |
| Public Entity | organization or body providing services to the public on behalf of the government |
| Relief | What someone wants the court to provide when they win their case (monetary damages, return of property) |
| Response | The defendant’s answer to a court case filed against him or her. The answer can say they agree with the claim (causing them to immediately lose the case), disagree with the claim (allowing them to get a trial where they can explain their side), or no-response, which will usually cause them to lose their case. |
| Serve or Service of Process | To provide official notice... in a way that satisfies local procedural requirements. |
| Settlement | When both parties resolve their case without the court having to make a decision. This can occur before the trial ever happens, or during the trial, or after the trial. Often a settlement will involve a settlement agreement. |
| Settlement Agreement | A contract or agreement between two parties that both agree will resolve the dispute that caused the lawsuit. This usually involves dismissing the lawsuit. |
| Sole Proprietorship | A business entity that is owned by a single individual |
| Statute | A law, passed by the city, state, or municipal legislature |
| Statute of Limitations | The amount of time an injured party has to file a lawsuit before the case can no longer be heard. This varies from state to state and depends on the type of case (or type of injury) being discussed. |
| Subpeona | An order issued by the court to command a witness to appear in court and testify to what happened, or for a party involved in the lawsuit to turn over documents or other items that could be used as evidence in the case. |
| SubServe or Substitute Service | To serve another individual in place of the original defendant ( I.e if you can’t serve the defendant at home, you’d serve a person who resides there) |
| Summons | Court order to appear in court. A copy of the summons (and the original claim that led to the summons) must be served to the defendant to initiate the lawsuit. In some courts, summons are issued on a physically separate document than the original complaint, while in other courts, both appear on the same document. |
| Tort | A case where a party claims to be injured by the other party. The injury, in a tort case, is one that is a civil injury, not a criminal injury. As a result, the case is between the two parties, without involving the police or government. |
| Trial | The actual event when two parties show up in court and the judge hears the case. |
| Witness | Someone who saw, heard or otherwise directly observed an incident occur, and is called by the court to testify to what they observed. |
Settle your dispute with a demand letter
Demand letters have an 85% success rate
General Demand
Settle your dispute with a demand letter
Demand letters have an 85% success rate
General Demand
