Audréanne's Law Glossary
Audréanne's Law Glossary
20 Law terms
My name is Audréanne and I don't study in law but I made a course the last semester and it interested me a lot. This glossary is to help people like me to understand words that are a lot more complicated to understand. This glossary contains 20 terms that can be very useful for people who study law. All of these words and their definitions were take on: https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/glossary/.
- Absentee
- A person who has disappeared or whose whereabouts are unknown.
- Access
- In family law cases, the right to spend time with the children on a regular basis and to receive information on the children's health, education, and well-being.
- Accused
- A person or company charged with a crime; the defendant in a criminal trial.
- Acquittal
- A finding of ''not guilty'' in a criminal case.
- Act
- A law passed by the provincial or federal legislature.
- Action
- A legal proceeding in a civil case.
- Adjournment
- Postponement of a court hearing to another date.
- Affidavit
- A written statement or declaration of facts that are sworn or affirmed to be true.
- Affirmation
- A solemn declaration made by a person, to tell the truth.
- Alimony
- It's an allowance paid to a person by that person's spouse or former spouse for maintenance, granted by a court upon a legal separation or a divorce or while the action is pending.
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Resolving conflict through means other than going to court. Example of alternative dispute resolution includes arbitration, mediation, and collaborative family law.
- Annulment
- A declaration by a judge that a marriage is invalid. If a marriage is annulled, it is as if the marriage never occurred.
- Appeal
- A request made to a higher court, tribunal or authority for the review of a decision.
- Arbitration
- A process where a neutral third party, selected by the disputing parties, makes a decision on the issue in dispute.
- Arbitrator
- A neutral third party, selected by the parties to a dispute, who makes a decision on an issue in dispute.
- Arraignment
- The initial step in a criminal proceeding to confirm the identity of the accused, formally read the charges, and ask how the accused pleads.
- Arrears
- Money that is owed to a party under a court order or agreement, but has not been paid.
- Atonement
- Satisfaction or reparation of a wrong or injury; to make up for errors or deficiencies.
- Attorney general
- The principal law officer of ''the crown''; the Minister of the provincial or federal government responsible for the administration of justice.
- Solicitor-client assessment
- A hearing where an assessment officer reviews the amount of a lawyer's bill.