Legal Systems & Concepts
59 entries in the Legal Systems & Concepts compendium.
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 responsibilityAge below which a child cannot be criminally liable.Alternative dispute resolutionA range of third-party-assisted processes for settling disputes outside litigation.AppealLegal process for reviewing decisions by a higher authority.ArrestLegal procedure of taking a person into custody.Arrest warrantJudicial authorization for arrest and detention.ArsonIllegal act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to property.AttemptA crime of intent and substantial step toward completion.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 contractLegal wrong when a binding agreement is not honored.BriberyBribery is the corrupt exchange of favors for official action.BurglaryProperty crime of illegal entry with intent to commit a further offence.Canon lawInternal legal system governing Christian churches and their members.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.Customary lawCustomary law: binding community practices recognized as legal norms.DamagesMonetary remedy for loss or injury under common law.Equity (law)Body of law from the English Court of Chancery providing flexible justice.Evidence (law)Rules governing proof of facts in legal proceedings.FraudFraud is intentional deception for unlawful gain or deprivation.Geneva ConventionsThe 1949 treaties — plus three protocols — that set the rules for protecting non-combatantHomicideAn act causing death, ranging from crime to lawful state action.Human traffickingA crime of exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion.Domestic violenceViolence occurring in a domestic setting, often underreported worldwide.Public lawLaw governing relations between persons and the state.Roman lawLegal system of ancient Rome spanning over a thousand years.Socialist lawLegal system of communist states with supreme state organ above constitution.Sources of lawOrigins of binding rules that govern a state's territory.Substantive lawBody of law governing behavior, rights, and punishments.RechtsstaatDoctrine of a state bound by law and justice.StatuteA formal written enactment of a legislative body.PrecedentJudicial decisions guiding future courts under stare decisis.JurisprudenceThe philosophy of law, examining what law is and ought to be.TortA civil wrong other than breach of contract causing legal liability.Quasi-contractA fictional contract imposed by law to prevent unjust enrichment.Claim rights and liberty rightsClaim rights oblige others; liberty rights permit the holder.Code of lawA systematic collection of statutes covering a complete system of laws.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.
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