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Most Popular Legal Definitions

doctrine

A rule or principle or the law established through the repeated application of legal precedents.

collateral

Property which has been committed to guarantee a loan.

presumption of innocence

Synonymous with the phrase "innocent until proven guilty." It is a legal presumption that the defendant in a criminal case is innocent until the prosecutor proves their guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

war crimes

Excessive brutality during war, in contravention of an international treaty.

search

1) To examine another's premises to look for evidence of criminal activity. 2) To trade the records of ownership of real property in what is commonly called a "title search."

novation

Agreement of parties to a contract to substitute a new contract for the old one.

usurious

Referring to the interest on a debt which exceeds the maximum interest rate allowed by law.

citation

1) A notice to appear in court due to a probable commission of a minor crime such as a traffic violation, drinking liquor in a park where prohibited, letting a dog loose without a leash, and in some states for possession of a small amount of marijuana. Failure to appear can result in a warrant for the citee's arrest. 2) The act of referring to (citing) a statute, precedent-setting case or legal textbook, in a brief or argument in court, called "citation of authority." 4) the section of the statute or the name of the case as well as the volume number, the report series and the page number of a case referred to in a brief, points and authorities, or other legal argument.

examination in chief

The questioning of your own witness under oath

attestation

the act of witnessing a signature for the purpose of declaring that a document was properly signed and declared by the signer to be his or her signature