Acquittal
A finding of not guilty, an absolution of guilt, or a jury verdict of not guilty in a criminal action
Action
A lawsuit brought in court
Ad damnum clause
See prayer for relief
Additur
An amount of money conferred by the judge in addition to the damage award provided by the jury. The
judge grants a new trial unless the losing party agrees to add a certain amount to the damage award.
See also; remittitur
Ad hoc
For a specific purpose. An ad hoc committee organizes to achieve a particular goal and then disbands
Adjourn
To end or postpone to a later time
Administrative agency
An agency of the executive branch of government whose duty is to carry out statutes and executive
orders and that is responsible for the control, supervision, and regulation of specific activities. In many
cases, paralegals may represent clients at administrative-agency hearings under the Authority of the
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. section 555 (1967).
Administrative regulation
A regulation that binds agencies and the public in certain areas. It consists of administrative agency rules
designed to explain and carry out the statutes and executive orders that govern the agency
Admissible evidence
Evidence that has been declared admissible by the judge for usage in an action. The evidence is
admitted for consideration by judge or jury as to its truth or falsity
Admission
An out-of-court statement made by a party to the litigation that is inconsistent with the position the
party is adopting in the litigation. An admission by a party-opponent is not considered to be hearsay,
which makes these statements admissible. For example, let's say Jacob sues Samantha for injuries he
sustained when the car Samantha was driving hit him while he was crossing the street. At the time of
, the accident, Samantha admitted to Jacob that she sped up to beat the red stoplight and didn't see him
in the crosswalk. At trial, Samantha alleges that she saw Jacob in the crosswalk but could not stop
because her brakes failed. Samantha's prior admission to Jacob that she sped up and didn't see him
would be admissible because a party-opponent, Samantha, made the admission
Admission and denial
After the defendant reads the facts that the plaintiff alleges to be true in the complaint, the defendant
prepares and files an answer in which she may decide to admit the truth of some of the facts and deny
the truth of others. When in doubt, the defendant often states that he or she "is without sufficient
information to admit or deny the allegation and therefore denies same". The admission and denial is the
most important portion of the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's complaint.
Adversarial hearing
A hearing where both parties are present to argue their respective positions. The hearing gives both
sides in the controversy a chance to be heard. The adversarial system places the burden of proving or
disproving legal arguments on the parties to the litigation rather than on the judge.
Adverse judgement
A judgement or decision against the party that you and your attorney represent
Affiant
A person who swears or affirms under penalty of perjury to the truthfulness of a written statement. The
person who signs an affidavit
Affidavit of service
A written statement sworn to by the affiant, saying that a party has been served with papers and stating
the time and place details of the service. This document is usually notarized and returned to the court
after service has been effectuated.
Affirm
To uphold or establish
Affirmative defense
A new factural allegation by the defendant not contained in the plaintiff's allegations. An affirmative
defense is usually contained in the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's complaint. Common examples of
affirmative defenses are contributory negligence and assumption of the risk. The affirmative defenses
for federal proceedings are found in rule 8(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Allegation
An assertion, representation, or averment. A statement of fact that the party intends to prove.
A finding of not guilty, an absolution of guilt, or a jury verdict of not guilty in a criminal action
Action
A lawsuit brought in court
Ad damnum clause
See prayer for relief
Additur
An amount of money conferred by the judge in addition to the damage award provided by the jury. The
judge grants a new trial unless the losing party agrees to add a certain amount to the damage award.
See also; remittitur
Ad hoc
For a specific purpose. An ad hoc committee organizes to achieve a particular goal and then disbands
Adjourn
To end or postpone to a later time
Administrative agency
An agency of the executive branch of government whose duty is to carry out statutes and executive
orders and that is responsible for the control, supervision, and regulation of specific activities. In many
cases, paralegals may represent clients at administrative-agency hearings under the Authority of the
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. section 555 (1967).
Administrative regulation
A regulation that binds agencies and the public in certain areas. It consists of administrative agency rules
designed to explain and carry out the statutes and executive orders that govern the agency
Admissible evidence
Evidence that has been declared admissible by the judge for usage in an action. The evidence is
admitted for consideration by judge or jury as to its truth or falsity
Admission
An out-of-court statement made by a party to the litigation that is inconsistent with the position the
party is adopting in the litigation. An admission by a party-opponent is not considered to be hearsay,
which makes these statements admissible. For example, let's say Jacob sues Samantha for injuries he
sustained when the car Samantha was driving hit him while he was crossing the street. At the time of
, the accident, Samantha admitted to Jacob that she sped up to beat the red stoplight and didn't see him
in the crosswalk. At trial, Samantha alleges that she saw Jacob in the crosswalk but could not stop
because her brakes failed. Samantha's prior admission to Jacob that she sped up and didn't see him
would be admissible because a party-opponent, Samantha, made the admission
Admission and denial
After the defendant reads the facts that the plaintiff alleges to be true in the complaint, the defendant
prepares and files an answer in which she may decide to admit the truth of some of the facts and deny
the truth of others. When in doubt, the defendant often states that he or she "is without sufficient
information to admit or deny the allegation and therefore denies same". The admission and denial is the
most important portion of the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's complaint.
Adversarial hearing
A hearing where both parties are present to argue their respective positions. The hearing gives both
sides in the controversy a chance to be heard. The adversarial system places the burden of proving or
disproving legal arguments on the parties to the litigation rather than on the judge.
Adverse judgement
A judgement or decision against the party that you and your attorney represent
Affiant
A person who swears or affirms under penalty of perjury to the truthfulness of a written statement. The
person who signs an affidavit
Affidavit of service
A written statement sworn to by the affiant, saying that a party has been served with papers and stating
the time and place details of the service. This document is usually notarized and returned to the court
after service has been effectuated.
Affirm
To uphold or establish
Affirmative defense
A new factural allegation by the defendant not contained in the plaintiff's allegations. An affirmative
defense is usually contained in the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's complaint. Common examples of
affirmative defenses are contributory negligence and assumption of the risk. The affirmative defenses
for federal proceedings are found in rule 8(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Allegation
An assertion, representation, or averment. A statement of fact that the party intends to prove.
