CRIMINAL LAW

Jurisdiction By West’s Encyclopedia of American Law The geographic area over which authority extends; legal authority; the authority to hear and determine causes of action. Jurisdiction generally describes any authority over a certain area or certain persons. In the law, jurisdiction sometimes refers to a particular geographic area containing a defined legal authority. For example, […]

Adjective: pro bono To work for the good of the public rather than for a profit or income. Notes: For example, working “Pro Bono” means you work without charging a fee. Pro bono publico (often shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning “for the public good”. It is used to designate […]

In law, the class action is a procedural device used in litigation to determine the rights of and remedies, if any, for large numbers of people whose cases involve common questions of law and fact. Class action suit Definition class action n. a lawsuit filed by one or more people on behalf of themselves and […]

A fee paid in advance to a lawyer to secure her services. It acts as a down payment, ensuring that the lawyer won’t get stiffed and that the client will be represented.

legal action – a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong. (n) A Legal Action is the action taken by a person or legal entity against another person, persons or entities with an intention […]

Legal costs (attorney’s fees) In addition to damages, the successful party is entitled to be awarded his reasonable legal costs that he spent during the case. This is the rule in most countries other than the United States. In the United States, a party generally is not entitled to its attorneys’ fees or for hardships […]