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J. D. : Juris Doctor; the degree that is bestowed upon graduation from
law school. The degree was formerly designated LL. B.
- Joinder: uniting of parties to single case or
litigation
- Joint and Several: sharing of right or
liability between parties individually as well as jointly
- Joint Enterprise: an agreement of two or more
parties to take on a particular goal or project
- Joint Liability: a doctrine of liability making
all parties who are responsible for a loss to each share full responsibility
- Joint Venture: a business undertaking by two or
more parties in which profits, losses and control are shared
- Jones Act: federal law that grants a seaman who
suffers injury to his or her person during the course of employment a right to
damages
- Judge-Made Law: law that is decided by judicial
interpretation as opposes to legislative enactment and is often termed common
law
- Judgement: judicial determination of a matter
- Judicial Notice: a rule of judicial convenience
that negates the need for proof of matter
- Jurisdiction : the authority of a court to hear
and determine a matter
- Jurisdictional Amount: an amount of money in
controversy required for a court to have the authority to hear and determine a
matter
- Jurisprudence: the topical area of the science
of law and societal order
- Jurist: a legal scholar
- Juror: an individual who has been impaneled as
a member of a jury
- Jury: the group of individuals who are
impaneled to decide on the facts involved in the trial
- Jury Trial: the determination of a case by a
jury, the jury decides the facts and the court instructs the jury of the law to
be applied to the facts
- Justiciable: a matter that is capable of being
determined by a court of law or equity with or without the aid of a jury L
Laches: neglecting to assert a right or claim which taken together with a
lapse of time and other circumstances, causes prejudice to adverse party,
thereby operating as a bar in a court of equity
Latent Defect: a defect not discoverable by the
exercise of an ordinary inspection, see HIDDEN DEFECT
Law of the Case: a legal principle which states
that a determination of law by a higher court is considered as correct during
all subsequent hearings in the proceedings unless the question is being heard by
a court higher than the court that made the ruling
Lay Witness: a witness that is testifying as a
witness to a fact or an opinion as opposed to an opinion given by an expert
about a matter beyond the expected comprehension of the jury
Leave of Court: a request to the court to
obtain permission to do something that otherwise would not be permissible
Lex Loci Delicti: (lat.) the place where the
wrong took place
Liability: responsibility or accountability for
one's breach of duty owed to another
Licensee: one of the classes of persons
entering upon the lands of another whereby the individual has not been invited
upon the land but is tolerated
Limine: see MOTION IN LIMINE
Liquidated Damages: a sum of money agreed upon
by the parties to a contract that will be paid as damages if there is a breach
of the contract
Lis Pendens: (lat.) a pending suit
Long Arm Statues: statutory laws that empower a
court to obtain jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant
Lord Campbell's Act: the English law that first
recognized the right of the family of a decedent to bring an action for damages
against the person who was responsible for the death of their family member
Lump-Sum Payment: an amount of money that is
paid in one payment as opposed to a structured settlement which is paid out over
a period of time in several payments
M
Magistrate: in the federal court system, this is a person who is
appointed to serve as a representative of the court and is often given many
responsibilities that would otherwise be performed by the federal judge
Malfeasance: the doing of an act in an
improper, wrongful, or unlawful manner
Malice: a spiteful state of mind
Malpractice: a failure of a professional to act
in accordance with the acceptable course of conduct, negligence of a member of a
profession in a professional capacity
Maritime Law: the body of law that governs
navigation and other activity in navigable waters
Mens Rea: a guilty mind
Misfeasance: the improper performance of a
required act
Mistrial: an action taken by a court which
terminates a trial in progress
Mitigation of Damages: a duty owed by the party
who sustained injury to his person or property to minimize the loss by acting in
a reasonably prudent manner
Money Judgment: a judgment granting to one
party the right to receive money from another party
Moot Case: a case that is fictional as it is
based upon a fact or right which is not recognizable or which has already been
resolved
Motion: a written or oral request to the court
for an order to allow or prohibit some item or to ask the court to take a
particular action with regard to the litigation
Motion in Limine: a request made by a party
asking the court to prohibit the discussion or other presentation of a
particular matter to the jury
Municipal Court: a court that hears and
determines matters concerning its own laws and other matters within its
jurisdiction as provided by law
N
Negligence: failure to exercise that degree of care which an ordinary
prudent person would exercise under the same or similar circumstances
Negligence Per Se: an act or failure to act
that is considered unreasonable conduct as a matter of law without the need to
consider surrounding circumstances
Next Friend: a person who acts on behalf of a
party who for some reason of incapacity is not able to proceed and has not had a
court appointed guardian appointed to act in a representative capacity
No Fault Insurance: an insurance scheme wherein
every person injured in an automobile accident is compensated irrespective of
who was at fault
Nonfeasance: the failure to perform a duty owed
to another
Nominal Damages: a minute sum awarded, often
only a penny or a dollar
Nonsuit: a judgment ordered by the court
against a plaintiff who fails to proceed to trial
Nuisance: the hindrance or interference with
the interests of others
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