Plain-English Legal Glossary
24 legal terms explained in ordinary language. Every entry states the statute or court rule it rests on - or says plainly that the doctrine is state law with no national definition, which is true more often than legal writing usually admits.
Informational only - this is not legal advice. These definitions explain general legal vocabulary in plain English. They are not advice about your situation, reading them creates no attorney-client relationship, and the law differs from state to state and changes over time. For advice you can rely on, speak to a lawyer licensed in your state.
Terms
- Advance Directive and Living WillDocuments recording medical treatment wishes, and naming who decides, if a person becomes unable to decide for themselves.
- ArraignmentThe first court appearance in a criminal case, where the charges are read and a plea is entered.
- Automatic StayThe immediate, court-ordered halt to most collection activity that takes effect the moment a bankruptcy case is filed.
- Chapter 13 BankruptcyA reorganisation bankruptcy for individuals with regular income: debts are repaid in part through a court-approved plan.
- Chapter 7 BankruptcyA liquidation bankruptcy: non-exempt property may be sold to pay creditors, and qualifying debts are discharged.
- Legal and Physical CustodyTwo different things the word "custody" covers: who makes major decisions for a child, and where the child lives.
- Class ActionOne lawsuit brought by named plaintiffs on behalf of a larger group with the same injury.
- Comparative and Contributory NegligenceRules that decide what happens to a claim when the injured person was also partly careless - and they differ sharply from state to state.
- Contingency FeeA fee arrangement in which the lawyer is paid a percentage of what is recovered, and is paid no fee if nothing is recovered.
- DepositionSworn, recorded, out-of-court questioning of a witness by the opposing lawyer, before any trial.
- DiscoveryThe pre-trial process in which each side must hand over relevant evidence to the other.
- EasementA legal right to use someone else's land for a defined purpose, without owning it.
- Expungement and Record SealingCourt processes that erase or restrict access to a criminal record, available only in defined circumstances that vary by state.
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)A business form that shields its owners from most business debts while staying simpler to run than a corporation.
- NegligenceCarelessness that the law treats as a legal wrong because it fell below the level of care a reasonable person owed to someone else.
- Plea BargainAn agreement resolving a criminal case by guilty plea, usually in exchange for reduced charges or a sentencing concession.
- Power of AttorneyA document authorising someone to act on another person's behalf in financial or legal matters.
- ProbateThe court process that settles a deceased person's estate: validating any will, paying debts, and transferring what remains.
- Reasonable AccommodationA change to a job, workplace or housing rule that lets a person with a disability participate equally - required unless it imposes undue hardship.
- Statute of LimitationsA deadline, set by statute, after which a legal claim can no longer be brought at all.
- Summary JudgmentA ruling that decides a case, or part of one, without a trial because the essential facts are not genuinely in dispute.
- Trademark vs CopyrightTwo different protections that are constantly confused: one protects what identifies your source, the other protects what you created.
- Wage GarnishmentA legal order requiring an employer to withhold part of someone's pay and send it to a creditor.
- Wrongful Death ClaimA claim brought by surviving family members or an estate when someone dies because of another party's wrongful act.