Legal Guide
Legal Guide
Legal Guide
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Introduction
The language used in law is changing. Many lawyers are now adopting a plain
English style. But there are still legal phrases that baffle non-
lawyers. This guide is intended to help in two ways:
The terms and explanations are for the law in England and Wales.
Acknowledgement of
Service when a defendant agrees that a writ or originating
summons ('claim form' since April 1999) has been
received. The defendant fills in, signs and sends
back the acknowledgement of service to confirm
in writing that the documents were received.
Actual bodily harm hurting another person but less severely than would
amount to grievous bodily harm.
Additional voluntary
contribution (AVC) extra money people in occupational pension
schemes can pay in to increase their
pension benefits.
Adjourned sine die when a court case has no date fixed for it to continue.
Adjudication order the former name for a court order which made
someone bankrupt. It has now been replaced
with the term bankruptcy order.
Admissibility of
Evidence which evidence can be presented in court. Evidence
must be relevant to the case but even some relevant
evidence cannot be presented, such as hearsay or
evidence of little value. The judge decides whether
or not evidence can be used in the case.
Advocate is:
• the lawyer who speaks in court for a client; or
• a Scottish lawyer who is the equivalent of
a barrister in England and Wales.
Affirmation
solemnl
y
promisin
g to tell
the truth
when
giving
evidenc
e. It is
an
alternati
ve to
swearin
g an
oath
when
the
person
giving
evidenc
e does
not wish
to.
Affray fighting
unlawfully. It is a criminal offence.
Aforementioned
describ
ing
somet
hing
referre
d to
previo
usly in
the
document. t such
as one
describing something which leading
has been said or referred to to actual
before in the document. bodily
harm.
Agency the
relationship between a principal and Aggravated burglary entering
an agent. premises
armed
Agent with a
weapon,
someone appointed to act for a intending
principal. to steal
goods.
the age when a person can
consent to have sexual Aggravated damages extra
intercourse. In the UK it is damages
16. awarded
because
Aggravated assault the
defendant
a has
caused
m the victim
o anguish,
r loss of
self-
e
respect or
shame.
s
e
Aggravated vehicle taking
r
i
stealin
o
ga
u
vehicle
s
,
driving
t
it
y
danger
p
ously
e
and as
a
o
result
f
injurin
a
g
s
someo
s
ne or
a
damag
u
ing
l
propert
y.
Agricultural holding a type of tenancy agreement for someone doing
agricultural work. The tenant has special rights
including, when the tenancy finishes, the right to
compensation for improvements to the land. If the
land has deteriorated the tenant must
compensate the landlord.
Ancient lights the right not to have the light you receive from a
neighbour's land blocked.
Annual general
Meeting the yearly meeting of the members of an
organisation which must be held to meet legal
conditions. The annual accounts are presented
for approval at this meeting.
Annul to cancel:
• an invalid marriage; or
• a bankruptcy order.
Anton Piller order an order by the High Court. It gives the applicant
permission to search the defendant's premises for
evidence, inspect it and take it away. It is intended to
prevent evidence being destroyed or hidden which
would be relevant to the case. (Since April 1999, this
has been known as a 'search order'.)
Arbitrage is:
• borrowing money at a low rate of interest
to lend out again at a higher rate; or
• buying and selling in different markets to
make profits out of the price differences.
Assured shorthold
Tenancy a type of tenancy agreement under which the
landlord has the right to take the property back at the
end of the tenancy agreement.
Authorised share
Capital the highest amount of share capital that a company
can issue. The amount is set out in the company's
memorandum of association.
Authorised
Investments investments in which a trustee is permitted to invest
trust money, under an Act of Parliament.
B
Bail to pay, or promise to pay, an amount of money so
that an accused person is not put in prison before
the trial. If the accused person does not appear
at the trial, the court can keep the money put up
for bail.
Beneficial owner the owner of a piece of land (and the buildings on it).
Beneficial owners have the right:
• to the income their land generates; or
• to use the land for their own purposes.
Building preservation
Notice a notice that a building is listed. If a building is in
danger of being altered or demolished, but the local
planning authority thinks it should be preserved, the
authority can issue a notice that the building is
listed.
C
Call asking people to pay for new shares they have
applied for. A company makes a call when it asks
buyers of its new shares to pay some, or all, of the
share price. When this happens the shares are being
called up.
Canon law the name for the rules used for running a
Christian church.
Capital allowances allowances that you can sometimes claim when you
buy long-term assets, such as machines, to use in
your business. You claim part of the cost against
your profits before your tax is worked out for the
year.
Capital gain the profit you make if you sell or dispose of a
longterm asset (such as a building) for more than it
cost
you.
Capital redemption
reserve A company has to have this reserve in its financial
records and in its accounts if any of the shares it has
issued are cancelled. The reserve cannot be paid out
to the members until the company is liquidated and
so it prevents the company's capital being reduced.
Case stated the written statement setting out the facts of a case.
It is produced by a magistrates' court when
asking the High Court for an opinion on the law.
Causing death by
careless and
inconsiderate driving an offence committed by someone who is unfit to
drive because of drink or drugs, but nevertheless
drives a vehicle and kills another person. The
punishment for careless and inconsiderate driving
is less severe than for dangerous driving.
Causing death by
dangerous driving a criminal offence committed by someone whose
driving is dangerous and results in another person
being killed. The courts consider dangerous
driving to be a very serious offence.
Caution is:
• a warning given by the police to a
suspected criminal when the suspect is
arrested;
• a warning given by the police when they
release a suspect without prosecution that, if
there are any more offences committed by
the suspect, the first possible offence may be
taken into account; or
• a document sent to the Land Registry by
someone who may have a right over land,
which demands that no dealings in the land are
registered until the person with the right
has been told.
Central Criminal Court the most senior court covering the centre of London.
Certificate of
Incorporation a certificate stating that a company has been
incorporated (that is, it has a separate existence
from its members). The Registrar of Companies
issues
the certificate of incorporation once a company
has been formed.
Challenge for cause when the defence objects to a juror and says why
it objects.
Challenge to a jury when either side in a case objects to the people
who have been selected to serve on the jury before
they are sworn in.
Challenge to the array when the defence objects to all the jurors.
Challenge without
Cause happens when the defence objects to a juror
but does not say why.
Charge means:
• to formally accuse someone of committing a
crime;
• to use property as security for a debt (such as
a mortgage); or
• a direction given by a judge to tell the jury what
they must do.
Chargeable event an event that may create a tax liability (tax bill).
Chattels personal the name for tangible goods (goods which can be
touched) such as watches, clothes, furniture and
so on.
Circuit any of the six legal regions into which the United
Kingdom is divided up. Each circuit has its own
system to administer the courts within the circuit.
Circuit judge a judge who presides over (is in charge of) cases
in the Crown Court and county courts.
Circumstantial
evidence evidence which suggests a fact but does not
prove the fact is true.
Citation is:
• a summons to appear in court;
• quoting from a completed case to support
an argument; or
• a notice sent out by someone wanting grant of
probate or letters of administration, asking
people to come forward if they object to it.
Citizen's arrest an arrest by someone who is not a police officer.
The offence must be being committed or have
already been committed when the arrest is done.
Civil court a court which does not hear criminal cases. It deals
with people's rights such as collection of debts.
Claim means:
• to apply for a right;
• to demand a remedy; or
• an application for something such as a right.
Committee of
Inspection a committee appointed from the creditors of a
company in liquidation to oversee the
liquidator's work.
Common duty of care the duty of the occupier of premises or land to take
reasonable care of visitors to make sure that they are
kept safe.
Community service
order an order to do work in the community without pay. If
someone has been convicted of a crime they may
be given a community service order as an
alternative to being sent to prison.
Companies House the office which stores company information such as
annual accounts, directors' names and addresses
and the registered office address. People who are
interested in a company can inspect some of the
information stored.
Compulsory purchase taking land and giving compensation for it. When
land is needed for a project, such as a road, local
authorities and other public bodies can take the land
off the landowner. Compensation has to be paid to
the landowner.
Compulsory winding
up the liquidation of a company by order of the court. It
usually happens because the company has not been
able to pay its bills on time and a creditor has
presented to the court a petition for winding up the
company.
Consistory Court a court for the clergy. There is one in each diocese.
Conspiracy is:
• an agreement by two or more people to commit
• a crime; or
• some people acting together and harming
a third party.
Consumer credit
agreement an agreement by a creditor, such as a bank, to
provide up to £25,000 of credit to a consumer.
Contemptuous
damages tiny damages. Sometimes, even though a case
has been won, the court may consider that it
should not have been brought to court and will only
award tiny damages.
Contingency fee the claimant's lawyer gets paid the fee only if the
case is won by the claimant. The fee is often a
proportion of the damages won.
Contributory
negligence your own carelessness contributing to the damage
done to you or your property. When someone
suffers damage or injury their claim for damages
may be limited if they have contributed to the harm
done through their own carelessness.
Conversion is:
• exchanging one sort of property for another
(such as exchanging money for goods); or
• acting unlawfully to deprive someone of
their ownership of goods.
Conveyancing the name for carrying out all the actions needed
to transfer the ownership of a piece of land.
Corporate body(or
corporation) a group of people acting together, such as a club.
The group has a separate legal identity from the
individual members' identities. A company is
another
example of a corporate body.
County court a court which deals with civil cases such as disputes
over unpaid debts and negligence claims. It does
not deal with criminal cases.
County court judge a judge who presides over (is in charge of) cases
in the county courts.
Creditors' voluntary
winding up. If a company is insolvent (cannot pay its debts when
they are due for payment) the members can pass a
special resolution to have the company wound up
(liquidated). This is called a creditors' voluntary
winding up.
Criminal responsibility When someone reaches the age when the law says
they are able to commit a criminal offence they
have reached the age of criminal responsibility.
Cumulative preference
shares shares which carry forward unpaid dividends. If
dividends on these shares have not been paid in
previous years the arrears must be paid before
a dividend can be paid on the ordinary shares.
Defence the name for the team of people (lawyers and so on)
against proceedings brought
against
someone. It is also in a civil case a written
statement (pleading) by the defendant setting out
the facts that the defence will rely on.
Discretionary trust a trust in which the trustees can decide who will
benefit from the trust and how much they will
get.
Domicile of origin the domicile a newborn child has. This is usually its
father's domicile or, if the father is dead, its mother's.
E
Easement a right to use someone else's land, such as a right
of way.
Endowment policy a type of insurance policy which will pay out a lump
sum on a fixed date in the future, or when you die
if this happens earlier.
Enduring power of
Attorney
(in England and Wales) a power of attorney which takes effect in the future. If
a person is capable of dealing with their own affairs
at present, they can sign an enduring power of
attorney. It will only come into effect when they are
no longer capable of looking after their own affairs. It
gives authority to the person appointed to act for the
person who signed the power of attorney.
Estate is:
• all a person owns at the date of their death; or
• the right to use land for a period of time.
Estimate an offer to do stated work for a set price.
Extraordinary
Resolution a resolution for consideration by the members of a
company at a general meeting of the members.
H
Habeas corpus a writ which can be applied for to order a
person's release if they have been imprisoned
unlawfully.
Harassment of debtors the illegal act of attempting to collect a debt by
threatening, or habitually acting in a way that
humiliates or distresses, a debtor.
Harassment of
Occupiers the illegal act by a landlord of using, or threatening
to use, violence, or interfering with the tenant's
enjoyment of the property, in an attempt to
repossess the
property.
High Court (of Justice) part of the Supreme Court. It is split into three
divisions called:
• Queen's Bench Division;
• Chancery Division; and
• Family Division.
HM Customs and
Excise a government department responsible for
administering (managing) value added tax,
customs duties and excise duties.
House of Lords the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Housing associations organisations run to provide housing for people.
They are not intended to make a profit.
I
Indict using legal means, to officially accuse someone of
committing an offence.
Interlocutory
Judgement a provisional judgement. (Since April 1999, this had
been replaced with the phrase 'Judgment for an
amount and costs to be decided by the court').
Interlocutory
Proceedings the first things to be done before a civil case comes
to trial. They include pleading (preparing the formal
written statement) and discovery (stating the
documents, under one party's control, which are
relevant to the case and making them available to
the other party) so that there are no surprises
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Interrogatories in a civil case, formal questions from one side
which the other side must answer under oath.
Intestacy/intestate when someone dies without leaving a will. Their
estate is divided up between their relatives
following the rules set by law.
Joint lives policy a life assurance policy on more than one person's
life. The policy pays out on the first death.
Judge Advocate
General a lawyer who is in charge of military justice in the
British Army and the Royal Air Force.
Judge Advocate
General's
Department a government department which appoints
barristers to advise army and air force courts.
Judgement creditor a person who is owed money and who has been to
court and obtained a judgement for the money
owed.
Judicial immunity immunity that a judge normally has from being sued
for damages when acting as a judge.
Judicial separation a court order that two married people should live
apart.
Justifying bail proving to the court that the person giving the
surety has the assets to pay the bail.
Legal aid scheme a scheme for paying legal costs out of public
funds for people who cannot afford to pay for
them.
Life interest an interest which will pass to someone else when the
present owner dies.
Magistrates' court the lowest court. The things it deals with include
minor criminal cases, most criminal cases involving
10- to 17-year-olds, issuing alcoholic drink
licences and hearing child welfare cases.
Majority the age when a person gains full legal rights and
responsibilities. In the UK it is when a person
becomes 18 years old.
Minor someone who has not yet reached the age when
they get full legal rights and responsibilities. In
the UK this is a person under 18 years old.
N
Naked trust a trust which holds property for a person until
they ask the trustee to return it.
Not guilty a court's verdict that the person charged with a crime
did not commit it. When criminal court cases start the
defendants are asked for their pleas. If they want to
deny they committed the offence they plead not
guilty.
O
Oath swearing the truth of a statement.
Occupational pension
Scheme a pension scheme organised by an employer for
its employees.
Originating summons a summons that sets out the questions the court is
being asked to settle. When the facts in a case are
not disputed, but the interpretation of the law or of
the documents needs to be resolved, an
originating summons is prepared.
Penalty is:
• a sum of money which has to be paid if the
terms of a contract are broken; or
• a punishment given to someone who commits
a crime.
in.
Personal
representative a person who is appointed to deal with a dead
person's estate. If there is a will, the executors
appointed will be the personal representatives. If
there is no will, the courts will appoint someone
called the administrator.
Pre-emption the right to buy property before others are given the
chance to buy.
Principal is:
• someone who authorises another person to act
for them;
• the actual person who committed a crime; or
• an amount of money lent or invested, not
Including the interest.
Privilege special rights which some people have because
of the job they do or their special status. For
example, diplomats of foreign countries are
immune from arrest in the UK.
Prosecution the name for the team of people (lawyers and so on)
bringing proceedings against someone else. Also
when legal proceedings are taken against someone
it is called a prosecution.
Q
Qualifying child when used in connection with Child Support this
means a natural child or adopted child who is
under
16, or under 19 if receiving full-time education.
Queen's Bench
Division part of the High Court. Its main function is to deal
with civil cases.
Queen's Counsel (QC) a barrister who has been chosen by the Lord
Chancellor to serve as counsel to the Crown. A
Queen's Counsel is more senior than other
barristers.
R
Racial discrimination treating someone less favourably because of
their race, colour, nationality or culture.
Real estate land owned by someone who has died. In the USA
it is also land and buildings used for business
purposes.
Registrar of
Companies an official in charge of the office which keeps
records of registered companies. There is a registrar
for Scotland and another one for England and
Wales.
Release means:
• to give up a valid claim against someone;
• to free someone from prison; or
• a document used to cancel a claim one
person has against another.
Repossession or
Repossess a mortgagee recovering vacant possession of
the property mortgaged.
Representation Is:
• acting on behalf of someone else (such as
a solicitor acting for a client);
• taking someone else's place (such as when a
court gives an executor the right to deal with
a dead person's affairs); or
• a statement in a contract.
Res ipsa loquitur proof is not needed because the facts speak for
themselves. If the defendant was in charge of
events and an accident was caused on the face of it
by negligence, then it may be presumed that the
defendant was negligent unless there is evidence to
the contrary. (This term is Latin.)
Restitution is:
• an order for the return of stolen goods to the
victim of the theft or for compensation to be
paid to the victim; or
• a writ, following a successful appeal, for the
return of the items lost after the original
case.
Reversion
Revocation cancellation.
Revolving credit
Agreement a loan agreement under which a person can
borrow again to top up the loan, as long as they do
not go over their credit limit.
S
Sale or return an arrangement under which goods can be kept by
the potential buyer for a period while their resale is
attempted. Unsold goods can be returned if the
conditions of the contract have been kept to and
the buyer pays for the goods used.
Salvage compensation paid by the owners for saving
ships, aircraft and property from the sea.
Satisfaction is:
• paying a debt;
• settling an obligation by an act; or
• settling an obligation by substituting
something satisfactory for what was originally
required.
Scheme of
Arrangement an agreement between a person with debts, who
cannot pay them when they are due, and the
creditors. The creditors share the money the debtor
manages to pay in proportion to what they are each
owed.
Separation order a court order that a husband and wife can live
separately if they wish.
Settle means:
• to create a settlement;
• to end a case by agreement; or
• to draw up a contract and agree its terms.
Share premium
Account an account in a set of books recording the extra
amount over face value that shares have been
issued for. If shares are issued for more than their
face value, the extra amount over face value is
called a share premium.
Sheriff someone appointed each year by the Crown to be a
county's senior officer. Each county in the UK has a
sheriff. To be eligible for the office the person must
own some land in the county. The areas of the law
which come within the sheriff's jurisdiction are
largely dealt with by the under-sheriff.
Shorthold tenancy a tenancy under which the law allows the landlord
to repossess the house.
Small claims court a section of the county court which deals with small
claims. There is a simplified way of making a claim in
the county court in a civil case where the claim is for
no more than £5000 (or £1000 in personal injury
cases). Neither side can claim costs.
Statute of limitation a statute which sets out the time limits within which a
court action must take place.
Subduct to withdraw.
Supreme Court the highest court in the UK, the Supreme Court is
the final court of appeal for both civil cases in the UK,
and for criminal cases in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland.
Tax point the date when value added tax arises on goods or
services supplied (or made available) to a
customer. The tax point should be displayed on
invoices. It is not necessarily the same as the date
of the invoice.
Teeming and lading a term used to describe attempts to hide the loss of
cash received from one customer by using cash
from other customers to replace it. This fraud can
carry on by using cash from other customers in the
same
Way
Treasury Solicitor the person who gives legal advice to the Treasury.
Tribunal is:
• a body set up to act like a court, but outside
the normal court system;
• a forum to hear disputes and with the authority
to settle them;
• a body given power by statute to discipline
members of a profession who do not keep to
the high standards of behaviour demanded
of members of the profession; or
• a body set up by the members of an
association to police the members'
actions.
U
Uberrimae fidei of the utmost good faith. In certain contracts (such
as insurance policies) one party must disclose
(reveal) any material facts to the other party. If they
are not disclosed the contract can be cancelled or
become unenforceable. (This term is Latin.)
Unreasonable
behaviour
Unsecured creditor someone who has lent money without getting any
security for the loan.
Uterine describes people who have the same mother
but different fathers.
V
Vendee a person who buys something.
Vesting order a way the High Court transfers land without the
need for a conveyance.
Writ of summons a type of writ ('claim form' since April 1999) used to
start a civil case in the High Court. (This has been
known as a 'claim form' since April 1999).
Y
Young offender a person between the ages of 14 and 17 who
has committed a crime.