| General Legal Glossary |
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Acknowledgment
acknowledgment the act of going before a qualified officer (e.g., Clerk) and declaring the validity of the document. The officer certifies same, whose certification is known as the acknowledgment
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Acquit
acquit the act of freeing a person from the charge of an offense by means of a decision, verdict or other legal process; to discharge
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Action
action a civil judicial proceeding whereby one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or prevention of a wrong; requires service of process on adversary party or potentially adversary party
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Actual Place Of Business
actual place of business Any location that the defendant, through regular solicitation or advertisement, has held out as its place of business (sec. 308.6 CPLR).
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Ad Damnum
ad damnum clause of a pleading alleging amount of loss or injury
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Adjournment
adjournment a temporary postponement of the proceedings of a case until a specified future time
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Adjudicate
adjudicate to hear or try and determine judicially
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Adversary
adversary An opponent. The defendant is the plaintiff's adversary.
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Adversary System
adversary system the system of trial practice in the U.S. and some other countries in which each of the opposing, or adversary, parties has full opportunity to present and establish its opposing contentions before the court
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Affiant
affiant one who swears to an affidavit; deponent
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Affidavit
affidavit a sworn or affirmed statement made in writing and signed; if sworn, it is notarized
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Affidavit Of Service
affidavit of service an affidavit intended to certify the service of a writ, notice, or other document
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Affinity
affinity Related by marriage; family relation from one's spouse's family.
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Affirm
affirm an act of declaring something to be true under the penalty of perjury by a person who conscientiously declines to take an oath for religious or other pertinent reasons
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Affirmation
affirmation A solemn and formal declaration under penalties of perjury that a statement is true, without an oath.
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Affirmed
affirmed Upheld, agreed with (e.g.,The Appellate Court affirmed the judgment of the City Court).
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Allegation
allegation the assertion, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, made in a pleading, setting out what the party expects to prove
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Allege
allege To assert a fact in a pleading.
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Alternate Juror
alternate juror a juror selected as substitute in case another juror must leave the jury panel
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Amend
amend To change.
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Amicus Curiae
amicus curiae A Friend of the Court. A non-party to a proceeding that the Court permits to present its views.
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Annul
annul to make void, as to dissolve the bonds of marriage
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Answer
answer a paper submitted by a defendant in which he/she responds to and/or denies the allegations of the plaintiff
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Appeal
appeal a proceeding to have a case examined by an appropriate higher court to see if a lower court's decision was made correctly according to law
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Appearance
appearance the participation in the proceedings by a party summoned in an action, either in person or through an attorney
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Appellant
appellant the party who takes an appeal to a higher court
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Appellee
appellee the party against whom an appeal is taken
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Arbitration
arbitration the submission voluntarily or involuntarily of a disputed matter to selected persons and the substitution of their award or decision for the judgment of a court or its confirmation by the court as a judgment of the court
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Argument
argument a reason given in proof or rebuttal
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At Issue
at issue whenever the parties to a suit come to a point in the pleadings which is affirmed on one side and denied on the other, they are said to be "at issue"
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Attachment
attachment The taking of property into legal custody by an enforcement officer.
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Attestation
attestation the act of witnessing an instrument in writing at the request of the party making the same, and subscribing it as a witness
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Attorney Of Record
attorney of record attorney whose name appears in the permanent records or files of a case
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Award
award A decision of an Arbitrator.
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