Legal Systems & Concepts
59 entries in the Legal Systems & Concepts compendium.
A
Accessory (legal term)A person who assists a crime without directly committing it.AcquittalAcquittal frees the accused from a criminal charge.Actus reusLatin for 'guilty act,' a core element of criminal liability.Age of criminal responsibilityThe age below which a child is deemed incapable of having committed a criminal offence.Alternative dispute resolutionResolving disputes outside the courtroom, with or without a third party.AppealLegal process for reviewing decisions by a higher authority.ArrestThe lawful taking of a person into custody, with powers and procedures varying by jurisdiction.Arrest warrantA court-authorized order for arrest or search, with procedures varying by jurisdiction.ArsonIllegal act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to property.AttemptA crime of intent and substantial step toward completion.
B
BailBail secures release while ensuring court appearance.Bar (law)The bar denotes the legal profession and courtroom division.Bar councilProfessional body regulating barristers in split legal profession jurisdictions.BarristerA specialist advocate in common law court systems.Bench (law)Legal term for judge's seat and judiciary collectively.Bill (law)A proposal for a new law or alteration of an existing law.BlackmailCriminal coercion using threats, often for personal gain.Breach of contractUnderstanding breach of contract: actual failure, anticipatory breach, and the remedies available.BriberyBribery is the corrupt exchange of favors for official action.BurglaryProperty crime of illegal entry with intent to commit a further offence.
C
Canon lawThe internal legal system governing Christian churches, with roots in ancient church councils.Capital punishmentState-sanctioned killing as punishment for misconduct.Chief justicePresiding judge of a supreme court in common law systems.Civil procedureBody of law governing civil lawsuit rules and court procedures.Claim rights and liberty rightsClaim rights oblige others; liberty rights permit the holder.Code of lawA systematic collection of statutes that exhaustively covers a complete system of laws or a particular area…Codification (law)The process of collecting and restating law into a legal code.Common lawJudge-made legal system originating in medieval England.Competition lawField of law regulating anti-competitive conduct to maintain market competition.ComplaintFormal legal document initiating a lawsuit.ConfidentialityRules limiting access to or distribution of certain information.Conflict of lawsRules for cases with connections to multiple jurisdictions.ConsiderationExchange of value required for simple contracts.Constitutional lawBody of law defining government powers and citizen rights.ContractA legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties.Contractual termA provision forming part of a contract, giving rise to obligations.Conversion (law)Civil wrong for interfering with another's personal property.ConvictionA court's determination that a defendant is guilty of a crime.Criminal lawBody of law relating to crime, punishment, and rehabilitation.Customary lawCustomary law: binding community practices recognized as legal norms.
D
DamagesMonetary remedy for loss or injury under common law.Domestic violenceViolence occurring in a domestic setting, often underreported worldwide.
E
Equity (law)Body of law from the English Court of Chancery providing flexible justice.Evidence (law)Rules governing proof of facts in legal proceedings.
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H
HomicideAn act causing death, ranging from crime to lawful state action.Human traffickingA crime of exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion.
J
P
PrecedentJudicial decisions guiding future courts under stare decisis.Public lawLaw governing relations between persons and the state.
Q
R
RechtsstaatDoctrine of a state bound by law and justice.Roman lawLegal system of ancient Rome spanning over a thousand years.
S
Socialist lawLegal system of communist states with supreme state organ above constitution.Sources of lawOrigins of binding rules that govern a state's territory.StatuteA formal written enactment of a legislative body.Substantive lawBody of law governing behavior, rights, and punishments.